Kissed by the Baddest Bidder Recreated - Book 1 - Olivia and Eisuke
by Cassakane
Summary: I use kbtbb as the *springboard* for this story. Events and some characters (especially Baba and Ota) will vary greatly from the original work. I intend to write a story for each of the bidders. Olivia and Eisuke: chapters 1-9: You know, right? Sakiko and Soryu: chapters 10-?: Sakiko is happy to join Eisuke's underground organization. Will she be able to seduce Soryu?
1. Things Awry

"You must be so excited!" I exclaimed, looking over at my friend Sakiko. Her cheeks were rosier than normal. "I'm totally jelly."

"Yeah, I am dying right now," Sakiko laughed, straightening her blue vest. "Yasu Ueda is supposed to be at the party tonight and his handlers already let the casino know that he'll be stopping by."

"This is so not fair!" I wailed dramatically. "I've been hopelessly in love with Yasu for at least six months! He's my fantasy husband!"

"You'd better keep your fantasy hands off," Sakiko teased. "He's been mine for almost a year. I saw Pumped4.2 in their very first concert." She clasped her hands together and raised them towards the ceiling. "Dear Jesus in Heaven, please let him come to my roulette table!"

As we dissolved into laughter, my team leader, Chisato, entered the employee locker room.

"Good morning, Ladies," she said with her usual kind smile. "Ready for the big day?"

The three of us worked for Tres Spades, an international chain of hotel/casinos that catered to the ultra-rich. Our site, Tres Spades Tokyo, was the first major hotel/casino built after Japan's laws changed to allow gambling establishments in the country. Boasting the best in modern technology and design and seemingly limitless amenities and services, it had held the honor of being Japan's most popular hotel since it opened.

Every Tres Spades hotel held a weekend-long VIP Convention once a year to celebrate their wealthy customers. But only one site was chosen each year to host the International VIP Convention that lasted for an entire week, and drew wealthy customers from all over the world. This year Tres Spades Tokyo was the chosen site and hotel employees had been preparing for the week long event for nine months. Our goal was always to provide each guest at the hotel/casino with an amazing experience, but during the IVC everything was expected to be absolutely flawless.

"Olivia is gnashing her teeth because she never gets to see any celebrities," Sakiko joked. "Life must be so hard for you guys."

Chisato laughed. "I'm very happy to stick to cleaning guest rooms on the lower floors. It might be fun to see a celebrity, but it is not fun to work with them. Too many of them are spoiled and demanding."

"I can't even imagine how bad they are in the privacy of their own rooms. They're bad enough in public. Last week a woman cussed me out in front of everyone because _she_ dropped her chips. I wasn't even anywhere near her. Having to apologize to guests like that is the worst part of my job," Sakiko said with a sigh.

"I know how hard it can be to take the blame when it isn't your fault," Chisato commiserated with Sakiko and then turned to smile at me. "And don't worry, Olivia. You've been doing great ever since you started working here. It won't be long before you have the chance to transfer to the upper floors. If that's what you want."

"I think I agree with you, Chisato. Cleaning guest rooms on the upper floors must be a nightmare," I said with a smile and straightened my light blue housekeeping uniform.

Which was really downplaying my true feelings. Sometimes I was disgusted by the things that I saw or heard about at the hotel. Women in the shops spending hundreds of thousands of Yen in a single hour. Men gambling away millions of Yen in the casino as if the money had no value at all. And employees, bending over backwards, always striving to make every single little thing perfect for guests just because they had a lot of money in the bank.

However, I was well aware that I had my job because of those wealthy people. Before being hired as a maid by Tres Spades four months ago, I'd been working in a convenience store, living with three other young women in a tiny apartment and barely making ends meet. Now, I had a good job that paid more money, and I lived in the employee dorm with my own little room. I was working as hard as possible and saving all of my extra money in hopes of a better future. Money was so precious to me that I wouldn't toss a penny into a wishing well, let alone risk my money at the casino.

Working on the lower floors, I could watch those families that were living more normal lives and hope that maybe one day I would be walking in their shoes. But there was no way that I would ever be able to live the life that people lived on the upper floors. Because my life had always been a struggle, it could be infuriating to think of the way rich people lived, free and careless.

"The service elevators are closed through tomorrow morning. I guess they're moving a bunch of stuff," Chisato explained. "And someone spilled five gallons of olive oil on the secondary stairs between here and the first floor. So, you'll have to use the little stairway that goes up to the front desk, and then either take a public elevator or the secondary stairs. Stay off of the public elevators unless you have to go more than a few floors."

We thanked Chisato and left the employee locker room to head for the little stairs. Keeping staff out of sight of guests was a big deal with Tres Spades. Of course we couldn't entirely avoid being seen, but we were supposed keep the time that we spent in public areas to an absolute minimum. There were service elevators for staff and even a tunnel that connected the employee dormitory to Basement Level One, so that we could get to work without being seen on the grounds.

Opening the door that was at the top of the stairs and behind the large front desk, I was stunned by what I saw. The Tres Spades main lobby, a vast cavern with marble floors and expensive groupings of furniture, was filled with people. I glanced nervously at Sakiko. She gave me a reassuring smile and grabbed my hand, pulling me along the back of the crowd. It was slow going, the lobby was absolutely packed. Noticing Sakiko going up on tiptoes, I did the same, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever the crowd was looked at. I could see the wide red carpet that ran from the front entrance to the primary staircase, a fancy staircase that lead up to the second floor.

I'd heard that they were setting up a VIP special reception area in the main ballroom on the second floor for the guests that were coming for the IVC. Were all of these people here to watch celebrities arrive at the hotel? They were walking the red carpet just like at a movie premiere? Suddenly cheers and applause filled the room. I peered towards the red carpet and got a good look at a man and three women entering the hotel.

"Wow, he's stunning," I said. The man was tall, with fashionably cut brown hair. He was wearing a three piece suit with a lavender oxford shirt, but he'd chosen not to wear a tie. He was incredibly striking, oozing confidence, cold and contained as he crossed the lobby towards the primary staircase.

"That's The King!" Sakiko said with a laugh. "Haven't you ever seen him? I think the woman in the blue dress is the model from that new car commercial! The one on the beach? She's really beautiful!"

"No..." I said, watching the man cross the red carpet. He raised his hand and flicked his fingers through the fringe of hair above his eyes. It was like I was seeing the movement in slow motion and it kind of took my breath away. When it came to this man, gorgeous was an understatement. My eyes followed him until he disappeared up the stairs. " _That's_ Eisuke Ichiyomiya? The man that owns Tres Spades? I thought he would be older, like in this fifties or something. He's so young and...he looks like a movie star! Not like a businessman _at all_."

We'd reached the doorway to the secondary staircase, Sakiko opened the door and pulled me inside. "He's twenty-nine," she told me. "He's supposed to be a business wizard or something. I can't believe you've never even seen him. God, cleaning rooms on three through eight must be like working in a cave!"

"It's starting to seem like it," I said distractedly. I was having trouble getting the sight of Ichiyomiya out of my mind. It felt like he'd been seared into my brain.

Sakiko laughed, "You poor thing! I get to see The King all the time at the casino. You're right, he is one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen. Even up close, he's completely flawless."

"Bragging much?"

We looked up to see Erika Oshiro walking down the stairs towards us, followed by her twin lemmings, Rina and Kana Nakano. I groaned inwardly. Erika had set herself up as my nemesis from the first day that I had set foot on Tres Spades property. Although, she wasn't very kind to anyone, even Rina and Kana her supposed best friends, she'd taken a particular disliking to me from the moment we met.

"I'm not bragging, Erika," Sakiko rolled her eyes. "Olivia and I are just talking."

"It didn't seem that way to me," Erika said accusingly.

"No, it didn't seem that way," Rina echoed.

"Not to me," Kana said.

This silly bullying and sycophant behavior was the sort of thing that I had to put up with every day. It was enough to make me want scream. But my job, with good pay and a place to live, was more than worth the effort that it took to ignore this childish trio. I just had to keep reminding myself of that.

"Where have you been, Olivia?" Erika turned to me with her usual smirk. "We're all _very_ busy with the IVC. You'll need to take care of the spa kits for the people who have signed up for spa packages on floors three through eight today."

"What? By myself?" That much work was never assigned to just one person. I looked at Erika suspiciously.

"We've all got to pull together during times like this. Are you complaining? Or refusing?" Erika asked, tossing her light brown ponytail over her shoulder.

"We've got to pull together," Rina parroted.

"You're _refusing_?" Kana glared.

"Of course not." Nodding at Sakiko, I ran up the stairs, hurrying to the supply room on the third floor where I would find the spa kits. Loading up the first cart with kits, I began delivering them to a seemingly endless number of rooms. I was like a robot, open room, set kits up as per regulations, scan log to enter delivery, hurry with cart to the next room, repeat, repeat, repeat. It seemed like almost every room had booked the spa package, probably hoping to rub elbows with the VIPs. _Sorry, regular people, rich people have spa treatments in the privacy of their own rooms. You're wasting your precious money._ After reloading the cart six times, I came in just under the wire, delivering the last kit just ten minutes before standard check-in time began.

Returning the cart to the supply room, I wearily made my way to the employee cafeteria. I was late for lunch, almost everyone had already eaten. They'd finished serving lunch and had already cleaned up the food service line, so I grabbed a sandwich and sat down at a table in the nearly empty dining area with a sigh.

I'd just started eating when Chisato came over and joined me. "I saw you alone with the spa cart today," she said. "Erika did that, right? She and Kana were the ones scheduled to do the kits."

I nodded unhappily. "I didn't really feel like I had the time to find you or another supervisor and straighten it out."

Chisato shook her head, "Erika is getting away with way too much just because her uncle is a manager. I've tried to talk to her, but I don't think she has a lot of respect for women. I'd like you to go with me and talk to Takahiro. We need to let him know what she is doing. I think Takahiro will listen to us and do something about it."

Takahiro Kuroba was the concierge in charge of our section of the hotel. Chisato was right, he was a good guy and would probably try to do something about Erika. "I'm not sure that's the right thing to do," I said slowly. "It'll just cause trouble, and I don't know that it would do much good. Won't she just get sneakier about what she's doing? She's also likely to just straight up lie and the twins would back her up."

Chisato sighed. "You're right. So, you'll have to find a way to stand up to her. That's one of the things that sucks about working at Tres Spades and having to be on your best behavior all the time. If this was anywhere else we could catch the bitch in the alley and rip her hair out."

"Chisato!" I cried, nearly choking on my sandwich. I caught my breath and laughed, knowing that she was trying to make me feel better. She was definitely the last person that would be getting into a cat fight in an alley.

"I'll try to keep you closer to where I'm working in the future," Chisato promised with a smile. "And I'm going to assign you to the Run Room for the rest of the day. That will be a nice change of pace, and you might spot some celebs."

Fifteen minutes later I used my keycard to get into the Run Room. It looked like a staff lounge, with comfortable couches and chairs and a sideboard set up with snacks. There was even a television. As I let myself into the room, a woman came running past me at top speed.

She held up a package of copy paper and said, "Paper!" as she flew around me and out the door.

Although I been trained on how it was done, this was my first time working in the Run Room. I sat down gratefully on a soft couch, but in less than two minutes one of the telephones lined up on the coffee table in front of me began to ring.

"Olivia Graham – 34837," I identified myself with my name and employee ID as I answered the phone, knowing that the person on the other line was writing down who they'd spoken to.

"Two packages of bobby pins to room 1406, stat," the voice on the other line said, and I made a quick note of the room number using one of the pads of paper that littered the coffee table, before running over and using my keycard to get into the large storage room that lay behind the Run Room.

The idea for the Run Room and the storage room behind it were reportedly the brainchild of Eisuke Ichiyomiya. The rooms were on the fifteenth floor, right between the upper and lower floors, in the best position for getting things to guests as quickly as possible. With thousands of guests in the hotel, there were constantly calls asking for one item or another. The storage room seemed to hold every item that a guest could possibly request.

As soon as I entered the room, I turned to my right and typed ' _bobby pins_ ' into the tablet that was mounted on the wall next to the door. Immediately, the screen flashed, "Aisle 4, Section 12, Slot 37". I ran to the location displayed by the tablet and grabbed two packages of bobby pins before hurrying out of the room. When I crossed back through the Run Room, a young man in a bellboy uniform was settling into a chair. He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Bobby pins!" I called, holding up the packages in my hand and flying out the door into the hallway, where I quickly adopted the stiff, quick-step that was as close as employees could get to running when we were in public areas.

When I reached room 1806, a woman with a bluetooth headset on opened the door, grabbed the bobby pins from my hand and handed them back to another woman who came running up wearing a smock and holding a hairbrush. The door was then closed in my face without a word from either of the women inside. With a shrug I turned and headed back to the secondary staircase to return to the Run Room. _No celebrity sighting on my first run, maybe next time._

As the hours wore on, the runs that I went on were all pretty much the same. I had hoped that maybe I'd see someone famous since I knocked on so many doors on the upper levels, but the doors were always opened by personal assistants, hairdressers, makeup artists or nannies. Employees of the rich and famous who always seemed to look stressed out and a bit desperate. Whenever I saw the other employees that were also working in the Run Room, we would always call out our current delivery. It was seen as a win if you delivered something out of the ordinary. My strangest request was my last delivery of the day. As I stepped out of the Run Room on my way to deliver it, I saw one of the young men who was also running heading back to the room.

"Double-sided tape," I called with a triumphant smile, holding up a roll of tape.

"That's not strange," he said with a laugh. "That's for boobs."

I didn't have time to ask him what double sided tape had to do with breasts. I hurried onto the elevator and up to the twenty-second floor, where I handed the tape to a young woman who looked like she was nearly in tears. Loud yelling was coming from the back of the suite. The woman snatched the tape out of my hand and once again a door was slammed in my face.

Turning around with a sigh I headed back to the elevators, finally finished for the day. No more dealing with rude employees who were obviously freaking out while trying to take care of spoiled rich people. I was going to go back to my room in the employee dorm, make some ramen on my hotplate and go to sleep. I hadn't seen a single celebrity.

As I approached the elevator, I saw that a man wearing a rose red suit jacket was standing in front of it. He turned around as I got close and said, "Great! You're just what I needed. Come with me."

I blinked at him, now knowing what to say. The elevator doors slid open and he stepped inside, turning to raise his eyebrows at me when he saw that I hadn't followed him inside. Scurrying into the elevator, I asked, "How can I help you, Sir?"

"Just come on," he said irritably.

I grimaced and studied him out of the corner of my eye. He was wearing a black oxford under the red suit jacket, beige dress pants and a black fedora. Who dressed like that? He looked like he was dressed to appear in a music video from the '80's. But he was handsome enough, with longish light brown hair and brown eyes. Maybe he was some sort of musician or a music producer? Maybe he was a minor celebrity?

The elevator stopped and I automatically started following the guest out of the elevator, my steps slowing when I realized that we had stepped onto the thirtieth floor, where the IVC Kickoff Party was being held. There were only a few guests, all of them dressed to the nines, scattered around the lobby area. I followed the guest to the doors that lead into the Grand Ballroom, feeling uncomfortable as the concierge who was stationed at the door looked at me questioningly, his eyes angry. All I could do was give him an ' _I don't know_ ' shrug.

We entered the party and I followed the guest through the crowd of people inside. It looked like a movie. There were familiar faces, glittering jewels, trays of champagne and dozens upon dozens of beautiful people. Some of the people called greetings to the man that I was following, so I figured out that his name was Baba. I watched eyes catch on me and immediately dismiss me, often with a little grimace. _I don't belong here. I want to go back to my room. Please let this be over quickly._

Baba crossed through the huge room and went directly to one of the doors that was set into the back wall. He pulled out a black keycard and I gasped in surprise. A black keycard meant that he had free access to every room in the hotel. Was he an executive? He didn't look like one, but maybe that was because of the red jacket and hat.

He ushered me into the room, where I froze and tried to backpedal as soon as I saw what was waiting for us there.

His hands fell onto my shoulders and held me in place.

"No," I said.

"Don't worry," he said, his voice too casual. "It isn't what it looks like. She wasn't raped or anything, just got too drunk and passed out at the wrong time. I just need you to fix her up."

He gave me a little push forward and stepped over to drop into a chair, pulling out his phone and ignoring me. I stared at the woman on the couch. Her beautiful magenta cocktail dress was pushed up to her waist and pulled down to reveal her breasts. Lace thong panties were draped around an ankle. She was passed out cold, her head lolling off the side of the couch.

With a sigh, I moved forward. I wasn't sure if I could believe this man. There was no way that I could ask this woman if she'd been assaulted. I didn't even know if Baba had been the one to do this to her. It seemed strange that he would have gone down to the twenty-second floor afterwards and then brought me up here. But I also couldn't imagine a scenario where any of this made sense and was acceptable. So, the best that I could do was to keep my mouth shut and do what I was asked. Baba had a black keycard. That meant something. It I meant needed to do what he said.

I moved over and struggled to pull the woman into a more natural position. She was like a lifeless doll, heavy and loose limbed. It was not easy to move her, but at the very least her head shouldn't be hanging off the couch. _What sort of asshole would leave a woman like this_? I yanked her dress up to cover her breasts, tugging it awkwardly into place. Then I stuck her other foot into her panties and started to awkwardly pull them up. It was challenging to say the least, I was only able to move them a couple of inches up on one leg and then the other, making the uncomfortable chore seem to last forever. Then my stomach turned as I saw that whoever had been having sex with her had finished the job. Sticky spunk was dripping from her Brazilian-waxed sex. Had the jerk finished even after she'd passed out?

" _I don't get paid enough to do this shit_ ," I thought, realizing that I should have just taken the woman's underwear off and thrown it away. I roughly forced the lacy thong up under her ass, not caring about being gentle anymore. Pulling down the skirt of her dress to cover her as much as possible, I wondered about the woman. Who was she? She was certainly beautiful. Was she a model? A working girl who thought she'd met the man of her dreams? Was she the daughter of a rich man, too stupid and spoiled to worry about her own actions?

"I'm finished," I said, looking over to see that Baba was pocketing his phone and standing up.

"Let's go," he said.

"We're just going to leave her here?" I asked.

He was already opening the door. "That's right."

I followed him back through the IVC crowd, fuming inside. " _What the fuck_ ," I thought. " _That woman could have pulled up her own underwear after she woke up_." I didn't understand the point of what we had done. What _I_ had done. Had someone fucked her when she was super drunk and thought that maybe she wouldn't even know that she'd had sex if her underwear was pulled up? I looked over at Baba. Was he that stupid?

We reached the lobby and I turned to face Baba. "You know your way around here, right?" he asked.

"Of course," I replied.

He indicated that I needed to follow him and stepped over to a tablet mounted on the wall. He scanned his black card and then asked for my light blue one. When I handed it over, he scanned my card in and started punching icons on the screen. I watched as he granted me access to room B3117 for the next hour.

He took out a wallet and seemed to randomly pull out a stack of bills before reaching into his jacket and drawing out a white envelope. "Here," he said, handing me the envelope, the cash and my keycard. "Take this envelope and put it on the desk in room B3117. The money is for you. Thank you for your help." With that he turned and walked away without a second glance.

I looked down at the things in my hands. The envelope had Chinese characters written on it. There were eight, one-hundred dollar bills lying in my hand. " _Damn_ ," I thought. " _I'll pull up some slut's panties and go downstairs for eight hundred dollars._ "

Because the service elevator was closed I had to take the public elevator down to the lobby and then use the service stairs to get to Basement Level Three. Once down there, I had to admit that it was creepy. It was quiet and lit with florescent lights, a labyrinth of hallways with cinder block walls. It made me feel on edge to be so far underground. There were mostly only storage rooms on the basement levels, and normally the only people who came down here were the ones everyone called the Moles. The people who handled all of the storage for the hotel. If we ever needed something from down here, we would requisition it using a tablet, and a Mole would get it for us and leave it in a designated drop off/pick up room. I couldn't see any Moles now and I figured that they didn't work this late at night. It seemed like I was completely alone down here.

Examining the numbers on the rooms, I made my way to room B3117. It was quite a distance from the elevator. When I finally reached it, I keyed into the room with my card to find a very nice looking office. I thought it was weird that someone was such an important employee that they got a nice office, but that office was three floors underground. With a shrug, I crossed the room and set the envelope in the center of it.

With that one move I was free. After a long 14 hour shift, that had run more like 15 due to running into Baba, I could finally go back to my room and crash. I spun around and hurried out the door.

And right into disaster.

It was my fault, for acting like a child and running out of the room. When I opened the door and flew out, I ran right into some big thing that two men were carrying. In that split second when time slowed to a crawl and I saw everything in super slow motion, I thought it was an ice sculpture, glinting crystal clear under the artificial basement lights. I ran into it so hard that it hurt. My arm and shoulder took most of the impact of the thing and my hipbone hit the wooden tray that it was resting on.

I screeched in surprise as I saw myself hurtling towards the thing and knew that I couldn't stop myself and then yowled in pain when I struck it and bounced off, falling backwards onto the floor. The thing crashed to the tile floor and smashed into a million pieces.

"HOLY SHIT! FUCK!" one of the men yelled and profanities continued to fall from his mouth as he stepped over and began kicking the pieces of the now broken thing that covered the floor. I was so shocked by his enraged reaction to the broken thing that I was frozen in place on the floor.

He turned and look down at me, his eyes blazing with a fury that was bordering on insanity. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO YOU STUPID BITCH?!"

He lunged towards me. I was so shocked that I was slow to move, my only option to curl up where I lay on the floor against the door to B3117 and cover my head. The man kicked me hard, his heavy shoe hitting the side of my thigh with all of the force he had.

I screamed, trying to curl myself into a smaller ball and bury myself in the floor. I felt a hand come down, dig into my hair and drag me to my feet. I screamed in agony and scrambled to get my feet under me and stand on my own. I looked at the man whose fist was still tangled painfully in my hair, holding my head at a weird angle. I was shaking with terror, tears streaming from my eyes. The man looked as if he had every intention of killing me, he was just deciding how he was going to do it.

"Wait, Hiro," the other man said, his voice strangely calm compared to the man who was apparently named Hiro. "Don't do anything to her yet. Don't hit her. I have an idea."

The man named Hiro immediately let me go with a backwards flick of his hand that caused my head to crash into the wall behind me. I toppled to the ground, hold my stinging head, tears falling from my eyes. I gasped in air, trying to control the pain and straighten my thoughts.

"We're gonna put _her_ in the auction," the taller man said. "This bitch broke our Venus? She'll just have to replace her."

My eyes fell on the broken pieces before me, realizing they weren't ice but glass. I saw a large chunk of glass that was part of a woman's face and recognized the piece. It was a glass statue called Venus in Repose that Austria had given as a gift to Japan. It was considered to be priceless, and it had recently been stolen. I looked up at the men. They were criminals?

"There's no way Ichiyomiya is going to allow that," Hiro said.

"The auction is about to start soon and Ichiyomiya is busy with that fancy party upstairs. He might not even be at the auction tonight. He certainly won't be checking any last minute entries. Besides, we don't even need to register her. We'll just call her Venus," the man said.

My self-preservation instinct kicked in, without even thinking about it, I pushed myself up off the floor and started running as fast as I could, desperate to escape the two men.

I didn't even make it a dozen steps. A hand fisted into my hair and another into the back of my uniform. Strong arms tossed me to the side, slamming my body up against the wall. My head hit the wall hard, bouncing off as stars filled my eyes. I fell to a heap on the floor, gasping for air. I looked up to see Hiro standing over me.

The tall guy walked up behind him. "Control yourself, we don't want her to have any marks. It'll cut into her price." Looking down at me, he said, "Stand up."

I pushed myself up on trembling legs, my head spinning. It was better to stand anyway. I felt more vulnerable on the ground, looking up at these two terrible men.

As soon as I was standing, the tall man reached over to take my jaw in his hand and turn my face side to side, examining my features. "She'll do," he said. "She's pretty enough to sell. We'll see what she brings in. If it isn't enough we'll keep her for ourselves. We'll fuck around with her until we get bored and then slit her throat. That sound like a plan?"

Hiro grunted. He looked like he'd just rather strangle me on the spot. The fear in me crested again, and once again my stupid feet were running. This time the tall man didn't even have to move. He just reached out and grabbed a handful of my hair and slammed me back into the wall.

"Something wrong with your brain, Bitch?" he asked, his eyes now blazing with a cold fury. He reached up and carefully removed the name tag from my uniform. "I'm finished fucking around, Olivia G.," he said. "You are going to do exactly as you are told. With no hesitation. From this moment on. I don't have the patience for anything else. You're worth more to me alive, but right now I'd be happy to see you die."

Shaking with fear at his words, I watched as he turned the name tag in his hand, maneuvering it so that he held the pin tightly between his thumb and fingers. Taking a painfully firm grip on my elbow, he held my arm tightly to the wall. My mouth started screaming even before I had fully registered his intentions. He took the pin and pressed it into the tender skin of my upper arm, pushing right through my uniform, hitting flesh and continuing on deeper and deeper into my arm.

The pain was unbelievable, sharp, hot, cold, lightning bolts of agony racing through me. It seemed to last an eternity. Finally, he pulled the pin from my arm and let me go. I immediately fell to the floor and started throwing up. I could hear laughter from the two men, and they were talking but I was not focused on their words. They were a distant buzz, far from the oceans of pain and terror that were filling me.

"Get up." The voice was closer and I looked up to see Hiro standing above me. With a desperate cry I pushed myself to my feet before he would have a chance to grab me by my hair again. He snickered at me and started walking. I didn't hesitate to follow him, ready to do whatever these men said in order to avoid any more pain.

Hiro walked a few dozen feet and stopped outside a door. He pulled a red keycard out of his pocket – a basement staff card – and used it to open the door.

He grabbed my arm, thankfully not the injured one, and threw me into the room. The room was dark. I went careening across it before hitting something hard and falling to the floor. Hiro stepped inside after me and did something that caused a crashing sound before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. I was left in utter darkness. I could hear Hiro doing something to the keypad outside the room. Was he locking it from the outside? Was that even possible?

With a cry, I got up and rushed to the door before I lost my sense of orientation. Finding the door with my hands, I began to frantically search the wall for the light switch, crying out with relief when I finally found it and the lights blinked on.

The first thing that I saw was that the man had smashed the tablet that was mounted on the wall. I wouldn't be able to use it to try to contact someone for help. And I didn't have my cellphone with me. We weren't allowed to have our phones with us at work. My cell was lying useless in my locker, two floors up.

I stood and stared at the door for several minutes. I wanted to try the handle, but I was so terrified that this was some sort of trick. That one of the men was waiting for me to open the door and then they'd have a reason to kill me. Finally, I built up the nerve to reach out my hand and turn the handle with agonizing slowness. It caught after a quarter of a turn. Whatever Hiro had done, he had locked the door.

Giving up on the door, I spun around desperately to examine the room. It was filled with shelves lined with boxes. I ran over and opened the first box that I came to. And then the next. And the next. I tried boxes on several shelves. There was nothing but table linens, table clothes and napkins, in a myriad of colors, shapes and sizes. Looking around, it was very apparent that there was nothing in this room that was going to help me.

If I had a lighter, maybe I could make the fire sprinkles go off like in the movies, but I wasn't a smoker. And there was no box to pull the fire alarm in this room, it must be located out in the hallway. Screaming was to no avail, although I couldn't help trying a little. But it was obvious that if no one had come to my rescue when the pin was being shoved into my arm, no one was going to hear me in this room.

I took out my keycard and tried to use it to jimmy open the lock, but of course that didn't work. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't even know if it were really possible to open a lock with a card. Maybe that was something they just showed in movies.

Finally, I sat down on the floor, defeated, frightened and in so much pain, all that I could do was cry and nurse my wounds.

I'm not sure how long I sat on the floor. It couldn't have been too long, but the face of my cheap watch had been shattered at some point. Eventually, I heard footsteps in the hallway and the door opened. Hiro stepped inside and threw a dress and a makeup bag on the floor in front of me.

"Get dressed and make yourself look real nice. Remember, if you don't bring in enough money, we'll just play with you for awhile ourselves and then kill you. You fucking deserve it after you ruined that statue. It was worth a hundred times more than you will ever be," he said before turning and leaving me alone in the room.

I couldn't even imagine how horrible it would be to be used by those men. And I didn't even want to think about his threat to kill me. I stood up and quickly put on the dress. It was teal, covered in sequins, and was certainly the most expensive and beautiful thing I had ever worn. It was also the most revealing, short with a very low cut back. It was necessary to take off my bra, which somehow made me feel more vulnerable than anything else.

I opened the makeup bag and spilled its contents on top of one of the boxes on a shelf. Taking a napkin from a box, I used spit to clean the blood from my injured arm. It had swollen and was throbbing mercilessly, just cleaning off the blood was so painful that it made me cry. Using another napkin, I scrubbed my face as well as a could and used the tiny mirror in a compact to apply the makeup. The hues of the eye shadows and blush were very different from anything that I ever would have bought for myself. For awhile I tried to pretend like I was turning myself into someone else. The sort of woman who wore fancy dresses and bold makeup.

But that image was illusory. Soon I was folding up my uniform and placing it on a shelf. When someone found it, would they associate it with me? Surely I would be reported as missing? Would they test the blood on my sleeve to match it to my DNA? Would they find the pinhole the name tag made and think that someone had given me some sort of injection? Even if they found these things and linked them to me, would it help them to determine where I was?

I forcibly stopped the useless questions from running though my mind, tucking my bra under my folded uniform, and placing my keycard and watch on top of it. I took my hair down from the once neat bun it had been in for work, finger- combed it, and used the hair tie and bobby pins that had been in my hair to put it up in the closest thing I could manage to a pretty, formal updo.

I examined myself as well as I could with the tiny mirror, only able to see small patches of myself at a time. My attempts at a fancy hairstyle to match the dress were a failure, I finally gave up and put my hair in a ponytail. With a sigh, I remembered the $800 that Baba had given me, and pulled it from a pocket of my uniform, tucking it carefully into one of my shoes.

Not long after that, Hiro returned for me. A strange calm had come over me. A fear so intense that it left me frozen inside and partially cut off from what was going on around me. Hiro and the other man said things to me, things about how I should act and what I should never do or say. Their instructions and threats washed over me like a stream.

They'd moved me to a room and from there they led me up a short set of stairs, to the side of a stage where they repeated their threats and handed me over to another man.

The new man led me out onto the stage and held me there, while a bizarre man dressed like the mad hatter from Alice in Wonderland and carrying a microphone approached us.

"And for our final piece tonight, we offer you a healthy young Japanese woman! I give you 'Venus'!" the Mad Hatter declared. "This beautiful woman could be all yours! You can do whatever you like with her! Just imagine the possibilities! Are they making you excited?! How much would living out your fantasies with this woman be worth to you?! Do I have an opening bid?!"

Numbers began to be called out and for the first time I looked out towards the audience. It was huge, there were so many people sitting in row upon row of seats. All of them wearing fancy clothes and covering their faces with the sort of elaborate masks people wore to masquerade parties in movies. So many people and not one of them was standing up and questioning the sale of a human being. Not one.

I wanted to shout for help. To plead with these people to help me, but the man still held onto my arm, the insane Mad Hatter still shouted enticements to the bidders and the audience stared at me cold and inhuman behind their fancy masks.

The numbers being called out were beginning to slow down as people dropped out of the bidding war. I was searching the crowd, trying to find the faces of the last few bidders who were trying to buy me, to get some sort of idea of what their intentions might be. But the lights on the stage glared up at me and the audience was in darkness. I could barely see them.

Suddenly, the double doors behind the crowd were pushed open with force, momentarily letting bright light from the lobby outside flood the audience. The majority of the crowd turned to look over their shoulders at the unexpected interruption. I watched several figures walk through the doors before they swung closed and left the audience in darkness once again.

"Attention back here on our lovely lady, please!" the Mad Hatter cried. "Our last bid was $85,000! Do I have another bid?"

A voice from the back called, "Two-hundred thousand," loudly and evenly.

"Well! $200,000! That's quite a jump ladies and gentlemen! Can anyone do better?" the Mad Hatter yelled excitedly.

When no one responded, he quickly declared that I had been sold to the man in the back and invited the man to come right down and get me. A group of four men made their way down the aisle between the rows of seats. The man holding me in place pulled me over to the edge of the stage. I blinked out into the darkness, beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

When my eyes could finally make out the men approaching me, I was stunned to find that I recognized two of them. Baba was bringing up the tail of the group, his eyes hidden by the brim of his fedora. Eisuke Ichiyomiya, The King, was leading the group, staring straight at me, his eyes cold and unreadable, his mouth smirking.

When they reached the stage the man next to me stepped behind me, grabbed me by my upper arms, picked me up and began lowering me down off the side of the stage. I bit my lip to keep from screaming in front of the audience when the man's hands clamped down with agonizing force on my injured arm. By the time the tall dark-haired man in the group reached up to take my waist and lower me to the floor, I was crying freely.

The four men immediately closed ranks around me and began to lead me up the aisle to the double doors. Somewhere along the way, the audience began applauding as if something wonderful had happened. I hugged my throbbing arm to me, lost in a cloud of pain. I felt as if I were shattering.

*

The four men and I took the private elevator to the penthouse apartment. I followed them inside and into an enormous living room where Mr. Ichiyomiya took a seat in a chair. Baba and a man with honey colored hair threw themselves down on a couch and the tall dark-haired man remained standing with his arms crossed.

I stood behind a chair on the periphery of the grouping of furniture. I was trembling and crying so hard that I kept making gmphing sounds.

The dark-haired man looked at me and asked, "What did they do to hurt you?"

It took me a few minutes to rein in my tears so that I could speak. "They slammed my head into the wall and kicked me and pushed a pin into my arm."

"A pin?" He raised his dark eyebrows.

"The pin from my name tag," I said.

The dark-haired man took out his phone and walked away.

"How did this happen?" Baba asked. He nodded at the chair in front of me to indicate that I should sit down.

I settled into the chair and rubbed my hands over my face, trying to stop my tears. "After I put the envelope on the desk and left the office, I ran into two men and knocked their statue over."

"The Venus in Repose," the man with honey hair said, confirming what I had suspected. "It was supposed to be the final item for the auction tonight."

"I apologize," Baba said. "Obviously if I had any idea what would happen I wouldn't have sent you on that errand."

"Why did you have me fix that woman's clothes?" I asked. It was a thought that had been haunting me. Had all of this started with a useless task? "If you were just going to leave her there, she could have fixed her own clothes when she woke up."

"Is she the one that took care of Yumi?" the man with honey hair asked with a laugh.

"Yeah," Baba answered the man and then looked back over at me. "I didn't just leave her there. I called her brother. He wouldn't want to see her like that."

"Sorry," the man with honey hair said. "If I hadn't been called away, if she hadn't passed out..."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Baba seemed genuinely regretful. Honey Hair thought everything was funny.

"Where are your things?" Mr. Ichiyomiya spoke for the first time. He'd been staring at me since the moment he sat down, his light brown eyes focused on me with an unwavering intensity.

"My things?" I repeated dumbly.

"Your uniform. Your bra. Your keycard. Your watch. Anything else you may have had with you."

I blinked. How did he know about all of those things? "I...I left them in the storage room. The one where the tablecloths and napkins are. On B3."

Mr. Ichiyomiya glanced to my left. I looked up to see that the dark-haired man had returned at some point. He met Mr. Ichiyomiya's look with a nod, took out his phone and walked away again.

"I'm Mitsunari Baba, by the way," Baba said. "Everyone calls me Baba."

"I'm Olivia Graham," I said.

"An American name?" Baba asked, his eyes flicking towards Mr. Ichiyomiya.

"My father was from Canada. He was an English teacher here in Japan," I answered.

"Was?"

"He passed away when I was a baby," I answered.

"I'm Kisaki Ota," said the man with honey colored hair. "And that guy who keeps making calls is Soryu Oh."

"Kisaki Ota" I repeated, surprise making me forget where I was for a moment. "The artist?"

"Yes." He was obviously very pleased to be recognized. "Are you familiar with my work?"

"My mother was a fan of art, " I explained. "She would show me articles about you. She was amazed by your talent at such a young age."

"Was?" Baba asked.

"Yes," I said, not allowing myself to feel anything. "She passed away, too "

Soryu returned to stand next to me.

"I saw you this morning in the lobby," Mr. Ichiyomiya said, his voice bored, his mouth smirking, his eyes piercing. "You were with the girl who assists at the roulette table. Have you been working since this morning?"

I blinked at Mr. Ichiyomiya. How could he possibly have seen Sakiko and I in the back of that crowd?

"Yes," I answered. "I was supposed to get off work at nine, but that's when I ran into Mr. Baba."

Once again, Mr. Ichiyomiya glanced at Soryu and was answered with a nod. This time Soryu didn't take out his phone and leave.

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" Baba asked. "Do you need anything?"

"I guess I could use something to eat and drink," I said.

As Baba nodded and stood up, the doorbell rang and Soryu went to the door and came back with a doctor.

The doctor did not introduce himself. He began asking me questions about what had happened to me. He felt around on my head and used a light to look into my eyes. He examined my swollen arm and then asked me to show him the bruise on my leg.

"Can-Can we go into a different room for that?" I asked, not wanting to pull my skirt up in front of these strange men.

"No," Soryu said.

I carefully pulled up my dress to reveal the large bruise that was forming at the junction of my hip and thigh. The doctor asked questions and tested my range of movement and then indicated that I could lower my dress with a flick of his wrist. His examination finished, he turned to speak to Mr. Ichiyomiya.

"I don't think she has a concussion. She'll be in pain for awhile, but I'll give you pills for that. If she passes out or seems confused, she needs to go to a hospital, so call me right away. I'll give her an antibiotic as a preventative measure. The pin went deeply into her arm and it certainly wasn't sanitized. I'll also be giving her a tetanus shot," the doctor said. He quickly gave me an injection and then passed some medications to Soryu, who showed him out of the penthouse.

Baba had returned with a tray with some snacks on it as well as a bottle of water and some tea. I nervously nibbled at a cracker and drank a bit of water. I was trying very hard not to look at Mr. Ichiyomiya, who never seemed to stop staring at me.

"So," Baba said. "Your parents are gone, do you have any brothers or sisters? Grandparents? Aunts? Uncles?"

"I..." God, why was he so curious? Was it because he felt guilty for his part in what happened tonight? "I don't have anyone. Everyone has passed away except for an uncle who emigrated to Germany right after he graduated from college and never came back. I know that I have family in Canada, but my father passed away when I was just a baby. I've never had contact with his side of the family," I explained, hoping he wouldn't ask anymore questions.

"I see," Baba said, and once again he flicked his eyes at Mr. Ichiyomiya. "That must be rough."

For some reason his voice didn't sound very sympathetic. I got the idea that something was going on here that I wasn't aware of.

"One more thing," Baba said. "What did you do with the money that I gave you?"

"It's in my shoe," I admitted.

"I'm going to have to ask you to hand it over," he said, his voice was gentle, but I was beginning to realize that I couldn't trust him. I hesitated, not wanting to give up the one thing that I had that felt like a little bit of power in my hands, but there was really no choice but to take the sweaty fold of bills out of my shoe and hand it to him.

I watched Baba push the money into his pocket. Seeing what felt like my last lifeline disappear, I threw caution to the wind and turned to Mr. Ichiyomiya, meeting his cold gaze.

"Are you going to let me go?" I asked and held my breath.

He continued staring quietly at me for a moment, smirking, before answering with his bored voice. "I bought you and you are mine. I will keep you as long as you are useful and at the moment I have a use for you. When you are no longer of use, I will have to find a way to dispose of you."

Chills went up my spine at his mention of disposing of me. What did that mean? I remembered Hiro saying that he and the other man would kill me when they finished with me. Is that what Mr. Ichiyomiya was implying? It was possible, maybe even likely. He was so very cold and emotionless and everything was strange. The way that the four men were acting, the fact that such a horrible auction had been held in the hotel, the two men who had sold me were obviously criminals and Hiro had had a red keycard.

I remembered telling an older neighbor about my new job when I had been hired to work at Tres Spades. "It's an evil place," she'd said. "Gambling is a crime and it draws in the worse sort of people, just you wait and see. You'll have to be careful not to fall into it."

Sometimes I'd thought back on that comment and laughed. Sitting in my newly built dorm room, everything fresh and clean. Thinking of the beautiful hotel rooms, the crisp linens, the shining happy guests and their seemingly wonderful lives. I'd seen no hint of crime. But it was obviously there, the seedy underbelly, and Mr. Ichiyomiya must know about it, he must be a part of it. He was holding an illegal auction where people could buy stolen items and human beings.

"The police..." I began, thinking aloud. "The police will come looking for me. I'll be reported missing, I can't just disappear."

"You can disappear. Can't she detective?" Mr. Ichiyomiya asked with his ever-present smirk.

There was movement over by a window and for the first time I noticed that a man was over there. He pushed himself up from the chair he'd been lounging in and stepped over to where we were sitting. He was tall with shaggy hair and a scruffy goatee, his clothes were unkempt.

"Anyone can disappear," he said lazily and moved to light the cigarette that was hanging out of his mouth. "I assume you've already taken care of it?"

I'd started trembling again. A police detective was in this room the whole time and this was all okay with him? He was confirming that I could be bought and sold and no one would even question my disappearance. My eyes looked wildly around the room. Was there really no escape? I was still in the hotel. There were thousands of people just below us. But no one to help?

" _People are going to notice that I'm missing!_ " I cried. "When I don't show up for work in the morning, they'll come looking for me! They _will_ know that I'm gone!"

Mr. Ichiyomiya stood up, his eyes never leaving me. He gave a little nod to Soryu, who said, "Your dorm room has been cleared of your possessions and a letter of immediate resignation has been sent to human resources from your employee email account."

"What?! You can't!" I stood up and looked around, wild-eyed, ready to make a run for it. Baba and Ota had come to their feet when I did. All of the men besides Mr. Ichiyomiya took a step towards me, ready to pin me in and take me down if I tried to escape. I made a strangled noise as I realized that I couldn't get out.

"Enough of this," Mr. Ichiyomiya's bored voice was laced with a hint of irritation. "We're going to bed." He gave his usual look to Soryu who immediately nodded and walked away.

Mr. Ichiyomiya leveled his gaze at me, a hint of anger flashed through their depths. Dread filled me. There was no escape. My only choice was to follow him. I was exhausted and my body already ached all over. I didn't have it in me to fight and injure myself more. " _Please_ ," I thought, despair filling me. " _Please don't let him hurt me too much."_

I followed him upstairs where there was another living room, smaller than the first but still the biggest that I had ever seen outside of the penthouse. At one end there was a large desk. He lead me across the room and opened a door. I turned to see the dark-haired man coming up the stairs, carrying a futon and bedding. I blinked in surprise and followed Mr. Ichiyomiya into the bedroom. The dark-haired man also entered the room and placed the things he held on a table. He left without a word.

I looked at the futon, hope springing within me. Maybe…

Mr. Ichiyomiya picked up the bag that was sitting on top of the bedding and handed it to me. "Take a shower," he ordered, nodding towards a door across the room.

I took the bag from him and quickly closed myself into the bathroom, collapsing against the door. I was on the verge of crying again, but I pushed my tears down. Giving in to all of the emotions and weeping wasn't going to help me now. I wanted this day to be over. I wanted to close my eyes and give myself over to sleep so that I wouldn't have to think or feel or remember for awhile. Whether the path that lead to sleep would involve sexual activity with Mr. Ichiyomiya, I did not know. But it didn't matter right now, right now I needed to take a shower and get myself one step closer to ending this day.

I opened the bag Mr. Ichiyomiya had given me and found a pair of pajamas, a sports bra, socks and underwear. They were all new and must have been sent up from one of the shops in the hotel. The dark-haired man must have taken care of this. It was thoughtful, I would have to remember to thank him. Thanking someone in this situation sounded crazy, but it seemed important to work to keep things as positive as possible, to make friends not enemies.

I scrubbed myself in the shower for far too long, making sure that every single spec of makeup was cleaned from my face, trying to wash away the memory of the two men and what they had done to me. I washed my hair with an agonizing carefulness, my head throbbing each time I touched it. I gingerly inspected my swollen arm and lightly washed my bruised thigh. I let a few tears flow, allowing the water to wash them away as if they were just part of the stream of water cascading over me.

After the shower, I blew my hair dry and put on the clothes. The pajamas were very conservative, covering me from head to toe in thick white cloth with little pink flowers. They were not at all sexy or provocative. They indicated that Mr. Ichiyomiya would not try to do anything to me tonight. I used this conclusion to give me the strength to go back out into his bedroom.

He looked at me with his intense eyes and indicated a side table where a water bottle stood next to the medications that the doctor had given to Soryu. "Take these as directed," he said.

After a moment's hesitation, I crossed over to stand next to him and read the labels on the bottles. I quickly took one antibiotic and one pain pill. I noticed that there were only six pain pills in the bottle. Hopefully, that meant that the doctor did not expect me to be in pain for long. When I was finished, Mr. Ichiyomiya silently took the pill bottles and pocketed them.

"Put your futon there," he directed, indicating the floor at the foot of his bed, "and go to sleep. Do not try to escape in the night. You can't use the elevator or enter the stairwell unless you have the proper keycard authorization. You'll just be wasting your time."

He turned without waiting for a response from me, and entered the bathroom. I did as he said, spreading the futon on the floor and climbing under the blankets. It had been a very long day of work and then hours of stressful chaos. My body and mind were exhausted. I'm sure that, even filled with exhaustion, I would normally have been lying on the futon going over every event of the day, trying to find all of the points where I could have done something differently to save myself. But the pain medication filled my veins and dragged me down into sleep.

Eisuke's Mental Notes 7/13/2018:

 _...The Auction put a woman up today. Nakato and Shimizu added her last minute to replace their broken product. They're barred from the Auction. They'll have to be destroyed to ensure they do not pose a future threat. Refered_ _to Soryu and Baba. Interfered with Auction and purchased the woman that was on the block. She was one of my employees, a housemaid, Olivia Graham. She was somewhat injured by Nakato and Shimizu but will recover. For now I must keep her. It is too much of a risk to release her. I will make use of her for the problem with Bucci. Must develop a plan to release her without risk. It could take some time..._


	2. Hollow

" _Wake up_."

Rolling over and opening my eyes, pain turned my stomach as I looked up at Mr. Ichiyomiya. He was standing near the futon where I lay, crisp and cold in a three piece suit. Staring down at me with his intense eyes. Smirking.

With a flick of his hand, he indicated the bathroom. I dragged myself off of the futon and into the other room. Discovering a basket of new toiletries on the counter, I brushed my teeth and washed my face. There was no chance of brushing my hair, my head was already throbbing with pain. The hairbrush looked like a torture device. Returning to the bedroom, I found Mr. Ichiyomiya sitting in a chair with a bored look on his face.

His clear eyes flicked up and down my body, still clad in the white pajamas with little pink flowers. "It's time to get our story straight," he said. "Last night when you were getting off work, you feel down an entire flight on the service stairs. This is where you sustained your injuries. I was near the entrance to the stairwell and heard you fall. I went to help you and we fell in love at first sight. You will now live with me as my girlfriend for the foreseeable future."

"But I would never do something like that," I argued, shaking my head. "No one will believe that I would just meet you and move in with you on the same night. And quit my job? No one acts like that."

His eyes flashed and his smirk deepened. "You've only worked for Tres Spades for a few months. Your coworkers will assume that they didn't know you as well as they'd thought. You fell down the stairs and into the arms of your Prince Charming."

"Mr. Ichiyomiya-," I began, but he quickly cut me off.

"This is not a discussion," he said. "I need you to play the role of my girlfriend. You will begin doing so immediately and to the best of your ability. You will refer to me as Eisuke. Anyone looking at us must believe that we are hopelessly in love. Play your part or you shall be punished."

I swallowed nervously, the violence of last night fresh on my mind. I did not want any more pain.

"Yes, Eisuke," I said and tried to smile happily at him.

"That will need work," he said, standing up and heading towards the door.

"Wait! I...May I have another pain pill?"

"No. You cannot be drugged. You must focus on your role. Your antibiotic and some ibuprofen are downstairs with your breakfast."

He left the room and I trailed after him unhappily, my mind swirling with thoughts of his cruelty. In the next room he waved his hand towards the stairs and told me to go downstairs and eat.

"People are waiting for you down there. Be sure to play your role at all times," he directed.

I walked slowly down the stairs, my body was stiff and each movement sparked pain from at least one source. Soryu was waiting for me in the large living room, there were three new people with him. Soryu introduced them to me as my new fashion team. They were here to prepare me for the day, but first I was to eat breakfast.

I followed Soryu to a dining room where breakfast for one was arranged. The first thing that I did was take the ibuprofen and the antibiotic, wanting nothing more than to get some sort of relief. I nibbled on the eggs and toast that were on the plate, but my stomach felt as if it would revolt if it was given too much food. I was in too much pain to really eat, too nervous, and Soryu was standing quietly watching my every move. Taking tiny bites and using the time to get my thoughts together, I tried to make plans for pretending to be in love with Eisuke. I would have to smile a lot. Smile and laugh and look at him lovingly. The thought filled me with dread.

I felt hollow, with nothing but pain and fear swirling around my edges. My life had been stolen away from me, lost in the space of a few traumatic hours. The job that I had loved so much was gone, ripped away as quickly as my name tag had been ripped from my uniform. My friends were somewhere in the hotel, going about their daily lives, certainly wondering and gossiping about my sudden resignation. They were so close but so far from me. Would I even have the chance to speak to them again? What would I say if I had the chance? Would I tell them that Mr. Ichiyomiya had bought me? Would I ask for help? Would they even believe me? I pictured the bad detective. Would it even matter if they did believe me?

Tears pricked at my eyes. Everything that I had was gone. I felt empty and utterly lost. How would I feign love in this condition?

With quiet determination, I quickly clamped down on the negative thoughts and feelings churning inside of me. I was safe and I was being fed and Eisuke had not tried to assault me. Anyone, with any intentions, could have purchased me last night. I could be lying dead in a ditch somewhere. Of all of the terrible things that could have resulted from the disaster that I ran into last night, smiling and laughing and pretending to be in love with a handsome man ranked pretty low on the list. I needed to think positively and try to do what I'd been asked to do to the best of my ability, just like Eisuke had said. Focusing on the negative was only going to get in the way of my performance, which would lead to punishment. That I did not want.

I closed my eyes and imagined smiling up at Eisuke, focusing on his ridiculously perfect features, smiling and laughing and giving off that particular mix of excitement, contentment and adoration that people seemed to exude when they were in love. I could do this. It would just be a bit of playacting. I'd lost my job, but I had a new one, and I was going to put as much effort into it as I could. I was still me. I was Olivia Graham and I'd never given up in the past. Not when my mother had suddenly died, not when I had been forced to leave university, nor when I had found myself homeless. I'd lost everything before and I hadn't given up. I was not going to give up now.

Finally deciding that there was no more that I could do to prepare myself, I stood up from my seat and followed Soryu out to the living room where my fashion team was still waiting. They were bright and happy, obviously dying to know what was going on between Eisuke and myself, but too professional to ask. Reminding myself that I'd be thrilled by the idea of a fashion team if the love-at-first-sight story were true, I did my best to smile cheerfully at everyone and submitted to a makeover.

Soryu told them to be extra careful of my head because I had sustained injuries, and then he sat down at a table a short distance away and began working on a laptop. The fashion team started off by examining me, talking among themselves about my coloring, my body style and my skin type, making plans for clothes, hair and makeup.

The hairstylist, Mika, combed my hair out very carefully. "I'm only going to give you a little trim today, and I'll leave your hair down because putting it up will probably be too painful," she explained. "We'll wait until your healed to do something more dramatic. What happened, anyway?"

I knew this was my chance to start spreading my Prince Charming fairy tale around just like Eisuke wanted me to do. Once I told my fashion team, the entire hotel staff would know within a few hours.

"Well, up until today I was a housemaid. When I got off work last night, I tripped and fell down the service stairs. I hit my head pretty badly a couple of times," I explained.

"Oh my goodness!" Mika exclaimed. "That's awful! Were you all alone?"

Everyone was looking at me, waiting for my story. Even Soryu.

"Yes, but Eisuke – Mr. Ichiyomiya – was near the door to the stairwell. He heard me fall and came to my rescue." _Time to sell this._ "He was so dashing and kind and it was just like magic. We fell in love at first sight."

I smiled like a had won the lottery while the fashion team oohed and ahed over the story. Mika continued working gently on my hair, but the other two had their phones out and were texting like mad. I looked over at Soryu and saw him give me a little nod of approval.

Able to relax a little once the rumor had begun and my head was no longer being touched, I submitted to having my makeup and nails done by a woman named Rin. After that the man who would be in charge of my wardrobe, Daichi, presented me with a sundress in a pretty pattern of yellow swirls.

"I don't think I can wear that," I explained. "My arm is bruised and swollen from the fall."

"That's no problem," Daichi replied with a smile, pulling a white jacket off the rack of clothes. "You can just wear this over it."

I changed into the clothes that Daichi gave me, finishing the outfit off with a pair of sandals and a silver bracelet. Inspecting myself dully in the bathroom mirror after changing my clothes, I admitted that I didn't look anything like my normal self. They'd done a very good job with my makeover, making me much prettier than usual. I could easily pass for someone who would ride the public elevator to one of the upper floors. I wouldn't match Eisuke, but he was so stunningly beautiful that you would be hard pressed to find a woman that would.

When I returned to the living room, the team exclaimed over my transformation and everyone told me that I looked amazing before leaving the apartment with promises to see me later. With a sigh I turned to Soryu, to see that he was already crossing the room to lead me back upstairs.

When we arrived in the second floor living room, Eisuke stood up from his desk and crossed the room to meet us. He looked at Soryu who gave him a quick nod and said, "She did well enough. The story is out and spreading through the hotel."

Eisuke turned to me, his eyes flicking up and down to take in my makeover. "This will do," he said. "Let's go."

I silently followed Eisuke and Soryu to the elevator, feeling a little angry that I had no idea what was going on. The least they could do is brief me on the situation so that I could be prepared.

Just before the elevator reached the first floor, Eisuke reached down and took my hand in his. When the doors slid open and the three of us stepped out into the main lobby, I wasn't the only one who had gone through a transformation. Both Eisuke and Soryu were suddenly smiling and they quickly fell into a conversation as if they had been chatting for awhile. I smiled and looked around the lobby, seeing a few hotel employees, but no one that I knew. The employees were staring at me curiously, but then, so was almost everyone. Dressed in expensive clothes and holding Eisuke's hand, I was no longer someone to be glanced over and dismissed. Few of the guests would have heard the story about our supposed love, but just being the woman on Eisuke's arm was enough to make me the focus of attention.

When my cheeks flushed from embarrassment at all the stares, I gazed lovingly up at Eisuke and pretended to be bashful when he looked down at me with his own happy smile. Every once in awhile Eisuke would lean close to whisper in my ear. Things like, "good job" and "hold that smile". Who knows what sweet nothings our audience thought he was saying to me. By the time we'd made our way to The Breakstone, one of restaurants in the hotel, I was ready to accept my Best Actress award and call it quits, but we'd only begun.

We sat down at a table in the center of the restaurant and Eisuke smiled at me with loving concern. "What would you like to eat, Darling?" he asked and reached out to run his thumb over my cheekbone. "I'm sure you're hungry. You didn't eat much for breakfast."

I looked up into his eyes and felt a spark of awareness whish in my heart. Even though I knew this was all an act, even though I could see his eternal smirk glowing deep in his eyes, my stupid body was still responding. Damn his freakishly beautiful eyes! 'Bedroom eyes' my mind supplied, but I fought against such an erotic expression. His eyes were like milky coffee...like a frappuccino. " _Frappuccino,_ " I thought, feeling my courage building as I waged an internal rebellion. I was determined not to let Frappuccino defeat me with his fucking bedroom eyes.

"I'll take a look at the menu," I replied, smiling up at him. "But I don't have much of an appetite."

"Alright, then," he said, he was gazing deeply into my eyes and I could tell that he could see I was mustering a revolt. "As long as you do your best." There was a hit of threat in his voice.

' _That's right, keep me in line, Frappucino,_ ' I thought, but I had no intention of not complying with my role as his girlfriend. I was going to slather fake love all over him, but I wasn't going to cower in my mind anymore and tremble in fear. I was going to be strong and in control of myself.

I opened the menu and immediately frowned. The prices were an affront to a woman who had grown up poor and struggled to save her pennies. This was what rich people paid for their food? A team of people had just done my hair and makeup and even picked out my damned underwear for the day. And now I was going to eat a meal that cost enough to feed me for a week? I felt as if I were being slapped in the face.

Eisuke leaned in close and whispered in my ear. "Don't worry about that right now. Just order and focus on your role."

I glanced at him, but he was sitting back up in his chair and saying something to Soryu about a soccer game. How had he known what I was thinking? I hadn't even been looking at him. Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the menu and forced the frown off my face. _If I'd fallen in love with Frappuccino, what would I like to have for lunch? If money didn't matter in the least, and I could just have whatever I wanted?_

In the end I chose the shrimp salad. I didn't even understand what half of the things on the menu were, and I really wasn't very hungry. I was nervous and uncomfortable and a little bored. I watched Eisuke and Soryu chatting about inconsequential things as we ate our food. They were both so confident and relaxed. I'd thought Soryu was some sort of personal assistant, but the way he and Eisuke talked it was obvious that they were good friends.

Suddenly, Eisuke put his hand on my thigh and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I'm going to kiss you. Don't do anything stupid."

While my shocked brain was still trying to make sense of what he'd said, his lips came down on mine and not in the "press lips to lips and hold" sort of way that you see actors do. His lips moved knowledgeably over mine, parting softly and caressing wet and warm over my mouth. I was frozen with surprise and unsure of how to react. Before I could decide whether I should move my own lips and respond to the kiss, his lips lifted from mine. His striking eyes met mine and he tipped his head back almost imperceptibly, before he once again moved to whisper in my ear. "Good job. Next time try to kiss me back."

As he sat back up in his chair, an older foreign man approached the table. Eisuke rose from his seat to greet him with a handshake. "Bucci," his said. "It's nice to see you. You know, we're picking Carolina up at the airport this afternoon?"

"Yes, of course," the man replied using very good Japanese. "And who is this?"

"This is my girlfriend, Olivia," Eisuke said. I wasn't sure what to do as he introduced me to the man. _Should I stand up and offer my hand_? But Eisuke put his hand on my shoulder and held me in place, letting me know that he wanted me to remain seated. "Olivia, this is a business associate of mine, Claudio Bucci."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Olivia," Bucci said. I responded with a nod and smile. "I wasn't aware that you had a girlfriend, Ichiyomiya. I thought the last that I heard you were single."

"We've only recently met," Eisuke explained. "Sometimes when you see the right person, you just know immediately. I think you probably understand that. Carolina has told me the story of how you met your wife."

"Ah, yes," Bucci said. "It is a favorite story, but don't let me interrupt you. I'll see you later at dinner?"

"Yes, of course," Eisuke said.

I watched as the man walked away. _This is why I am here, so that man can see that Eisuke has a girlfriend_. I looked over at Eisuke, but he was once again talking and laughing with Soryu. I put a vague smile on my face and continued picking at my salad, wondering why it was so important for a foreign man to think Eisuke has a girlfriend.

Soon we were sitting in the back of a limousine. "We're going to the airport to pick up Bucci's daughter, Carolina," Eisuke told me. "The last time we met, she developed something of a crush on me. Both she and her father can be very persistent. It is extremely important that the business deal that Bucci and I are negotiating be successful. I don't want to be forced into dating Carolina just to ensure her father agrees to work with me. You are my insurance against that. Once Carolina sees that I am involved in a relationship, she will have to admit defeat and move on."

"I see," I said carefully. "Thank you for telling me. It makes it easier if I know what I'm doing this for."

He nodded and then turned to look out the window, ignoring me for the remainder of the ride.

At the airport we went to a special gate for private jets. We sat quietly for the most part, Eisuke and Soryu had certainly been putting on a show when they were talking and laughing so casually at the hotel. Now they spoke rarely and when they did it was with soft, contained voices. Their eyes seemed to always be scanning the small seating area for the gate, even though the only other person there was an airport employee.

There were large windows set into the wall, so we were able to watch Carolina's jet arrive. Stairs were rolled out and set in front of the door and a woman disembarked from the plane. She was heavyset with masses of golden curls and she strode with purposeful confidence across the tarmac towards the entrance to the gate.

I fisted my hands and strengthened my spine. Eisuke was only going to keep me as long as he needed me. With one great performance it was possible that I could buy myself freedom. I would be all smiles and loving eyes and this time if he kissed me I would kiss him back.

Eisuke stood and pulled me from my seat, immediately embracing me and dropping his mouth down next to my ear. "Maintain your role," he commanded. "She'll be here in a moment."

Intent on using my newly found determination to play my role to the hilt, I pulled back a little and slid my arms up his chest and around his neck. I went up on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. "I need some more ibuprofen."

I hadn't anticipated how it would feel to be pressed so intimately against him. He was so very warm against my stomach, my arms, my breasts. My body, struggling with the pain of my injuries, clung to him as a source of comfort, but my heart began pounding as awareness of his heat and strength crept through my veins. " _Fuck_ ," I commanded myself. " _Do not get turned on by Frappuccino_."

I'd unwittingly thrown myself into a trap and now it held me tightly in its grip. Eisuke set a hand on my waist and his other hand slip down to cup my ass. My heart jumped in my chest. Eisuke, his voice filled with his usual boredom, said, "This is perfect. Keep acting like this. I'll get you the ibuprofen as soon as I can."

He didn't care of course. He was a well known playboy. He dated supermodels and famous actresses. Beautiful women clung to him all the time. I was average, even with the professional makeover. I was nothing to him. I was just a tool to scare off Carolina Bucci. I could dance naked in front of him and he wouldn't bat an eyelash. My body may be reacting to his nearness, but he would certainly not be reacting to me. I was a fly in a room full of butterflies. Easy to ignore and infinitely uninteresting.

" _This is good_ ," I told myself. I could hug him and hold him and do all of the things necessary to play his girlfriend to the hilt, without having to worry about him responding. The fact that he was as cold as a statue was a _good_ thing. I was in his power. My ego may be a little wounded by his lack of interest, but I knew in the end it was the best thing possible. I wanted to remain sleeping on a futon on his floor. I did not want him ordering me into his bed.

"Eisuke! What you doing there?" A voice called out in broken Japanese.

I turned around in Eisuke's arms to see Carolina Bucci stepping into the waiting area. She was followed by a man holding a small dog and a young woman. Seeing that her eyes were blazing with anger, I was glad that Eisuke still had his arms wrapped around me.

"Carolina!" Eisuke said happily. "It is so good to see you! I've been waiting for you, of course. And perhaps enjoying the time with my girlfriend a little too much. I'm surprised to see that you've learned Japanese."

"Yes," Carolina said, searching for the right words. "I need to learn Japanese to talk Eisuke. You own a girlfriend?"

I almost started laughing when Carolina used the word "own" instead of "have". Little did she know how right she was.

"Yes, this is my Olivia," Eisuke said, simplifying his speech to help Carolina to understand. "She is the only one for me. I think someday we will get married."

I smiled as if I were delighted by the idea of marrying Eisuke and said, "It is very nice to meet you, Carolina."

Carolina looked past me as if I didn't exist. "You are bad boy, Eisuke. So many times new girl. I think this girl will go soon."

Eisuke laughed. "I think my days of enjoying many women are over now, Carolina. When you get to know Olivia, you too will understand how precious she is."

Carolina rolled her eyes. "I own a dog now, Eisuke. Look at my little Button." She waved for the man holding the dog to step forward. He passed Carolina a small Yorkshire Terrier.

Eisuke took a step back, pulling me with him. "I'm sorry, Carolina, but I am allergic to dogs. But Soryu loves all dogs." Eisuke indicated Soryu who had been standing quietly listening to the conversation. "This is my colleague, Soryu Oh. He is from an important family in Hong Kong."

Soryu stepped forward to pet the little dog in Carolina's arms. I watched Carolina looking up at him, her eyes assessing his handsome face and strong build. "A family in Hong Kong?" she repeated.

"Yes," Eisuke replied. "Some would say the most important family."

Carolina made a purring sound, her eyes suddenly sparkling. "Ah, this is a handsome man, Button."

I blinked in surprise. _Is Eisuke setting Soryu up?_

Soryu said, "You have a very good dog, Carolina," before turning around to shoot an angry glance at Eisuke.

Eisuke responded with a quiet chuckle, confirming my suspicions. "Shall we go to the car?" he suggested. "I'm sure that you are anxious for your long journey to be over."

"Yes, do that," Carolina said. She made a quick step forward, obviously intent on claiming Eisuke's arm and walking with him, but Eisuke was too fast for her. He pivoted the two of us gracefully, guiding me around to stand next to him, his hand firmly on my waist, before I even realized what was going on.

With a _hmph_ , Carolina stepped over and took Soryu's arm and we made our way back to the limo. Once there, Carolina ensured that she was sitting next to Eisuke and Eisuke made sure that I was sitting firmly on the other side of him.

Soryu, seated to my right, quietly handed me a bottle of water out of the mini fridge and surreptitiously passed me some ibuprofen. I took the pills and waited for them to take affect as the limo made its way back to Tres Spades. Carolina had begun talking to Eisuke in Italian as soon as we had settled into the our seats. I couldn't tell what they were saying, but she was flirtatious – and very handsy – for the entire trip.

It annoyed me that Carolina was flirting with Eisuke, constantly touching his leg or his arm, sometimes even reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. What sort of woman would behave so brashly in front of a man's girlfriend? I tried to think of how I should respond. If it were a normal situation, I would probably just tell her to keep her hands off of my man, but it was clear that Mr. Bucci and Carolina could not be offended. It was obvious that even Eisuke could not directly put Carolina in her place. I decided the best thing that I could do would be to ignore her. If I felt completely secure in my false relationship with Eisuke, then Carolina's behavior would be a laughable annoyance. _She_ was the fly and _I_ was the butterfly, and butterflies don't worry about flies.

I sat my hand casually on Eisuke's thigh and turned my attention to Soryu for the remainder of the ride.

"I didn't know that Eisuke spoke Italian," I said breezily, as if Soryu and I had engaged in many conversations.

"He speaks seven languages," Soryu replied a bit stiffly. "He believes that it is important to speak to business partners in their own language."

"Seven," I repeated, remembering Sakiko referring to Eisuke as a business wizard. "That must have taken a lot of work."

"Eisuke has always worked extremely hard," Soryu said. Was it my imagination or was he relaxing a little bit into our conversation?

"How long have you known him?" I asked.

"Since we were thirteen," Soryu explained. "We went to the same private school in England."

"I see. He worked that hard, even as a child?"

"He has always been driven," Soryu answered. "It was obvious even then that he would do great things with his life."

I nodded thoughtfully. "And you? Eisuke said that you are from Hong Kong. Do you live in Japan or are you just visiting?"

Soryu looked into my eyes as if pondering the answer to my innocent question. "I'm staying here for the time being, working on a project with Eisuke. I will eventually return to Hong Kong."

I nodded, sensing that I was asking too many questions. The Auction sprang to mind. Eisuke and Soryu were obviously working together on something illegal. Eisuke's description of Soryu as being from an important family in Hong Kong crossed my mind. Clues began to weave themselves together. Could the Buccis be a crime family? And Soryu and Eisuke, could they also be from crime families? Did these people represent Mafias from different countries around the world? Did that explain why Carolina was so forward and bold? If Bucci was a mafia kingpin, wouldn't she get whatever she wanted? Even more than the rich women who could be seen at the hotel? Carolina could ask for anything, legal or illegal, and expect to receive it. A chill went through me. If this were true, maybe standing in Carolina's way by pretending to be Eisuke's girlfriend was going to by much more difficult than I would have imagined.

The limo pulled up in front of the hotel. A concierge who spoke Italian was waiting at the front door to guide Carolina through the check-in process. We left her at the front desk and made our way to the private elevator for the penthouse, Eisuke and Soryu chatting the entire time. It was strange to enter Tres Spades through the front door. I had never done so before. Walking across the lobby, Eisuke's hand on my waist, I felt as if I had truly walked into a different world. I was on the other side now. In such a short amount of time, my life making beds and vacuuming floors was beginning to seem far away.

When the doors of the elevator closed between us and the lobby, the two men fell silent immediately and Eisuke's hand dropped from my waist. I shook my head at myself. I spent the elevator ride picturing myself in my dorm room, in the employee locker room, cleaning rooms and delivering spa kits. That was my real life. Trapped in the hands of Eisuke Ichiyomiya, the life that had been stole from me seemed so very far away, but it was just on the other side of an invisible wall. With hard work and determination, I would cross that barrier back into my own world.

When we entered the penthouse, Baba, Ota and the bad detective were gathered around the coffee table. Eisuke and Soryu went over to join them and I followed.

"Is this it?" Soryu asked.

"Yeah," Baba answered. "It was easy enough to do. A lot less tricky than I thought it was going to be. Their security was for shit."

A handful of little black squares that looked like computer chips were sitting in a small clear tote on the coffee table. Next to them were a stack of file folders and several thumb drives.

"What are those things?" I asked. Everyone seemed a little excited, and I was wondering why.

"It's a prototype for a new type of pacemaker," Baba said.

"For the heart?" When he nodded, I asked, "Is someone sick?"

Baba laughed. "No. This is a new technology that isn't even on the market yet. We're going to sell it in the Auction tonight."

I stared down at the things on the table and then blinked up at Baba. "You stole these things? To sell?"

Baba grinned widely, looking proud of himself. "Yeah. I'm going to make a shitload of money off of this."

"But this is for sick people," I said accusingly. "For their _hearts_. People could die because you stole these things!"

Suddenly, Eisuke stepped close to me and grabbed my wrist, holding it with a painful grip. He leaned down to speak quietly and coldly into my ear. "You need to remember that none of this is your business. It is not your place to ask questions."

He dropped my wrist and walked away without another word to anyone. My eyes followed him up the stairs to the second floor until he disappeared, my heart thumping wildly in my ears with fear. _I have to remember that he's dangerous. I always have to remember that he can hurt me._

Baba touched my arm and I recoiled automatically, blinking up at him.

"Hey, it's okay," he said quietly. "And don't worry about these pacemakers. It's a good thing that I stole them. The company that developed them was just sitting on the technology. They planned to bribe politicians next year to change the law, so that they can sell the pacemakers for a lot more money than they would be able to now. When someone wins this information in the Auction, these pacemakers will end up being manufactured as quickly as possible and they'll be sold for a cheaper price. This will _help_ sick people, not hurt them. So, no worries, Kitten. And the police think it's a good idea, too. Right, Mamoru?"

I looked up at the bad detective, who nodded and began digging in his pocket for a package of cigarettes. My eyes examined the other men. No one was contradicting what Baba had said. His argument seemed to make sense. Is this really how things worked?

"Does… Does Eisuke know that?" I asked, forcing myself not to rub my wrist in front of the four men.

Baba looked at me very seriously and said, "Eisuke knows everything."

Two hours later I sat in the upstairs living room. I'd showered and handed myself over to my fashion team. I was still wearing my hair down, but Rin had done my makeup with more color for an evening look and Daichi had dressed me in a purple dress for dinner. I'd refused the teal one that he had originally suggested. I didn't think I'd be wearing teal for a long while. Maybe never again.

I looked up as Eisuke came out of the bedroom. He was wearing his usual three piece suit, only this time he was wearing a tie. He came and stood before me, staring down at me with his Frappuccino eyes. "This dinner is very important. Bucci will be there as well as several other important business associates. Carolina will also be there. You must play your role at all times, without fail. Do not give anyone reason to doubt that we are involved in an intimate relationship. I will be focusing on business during this meal. Do not do anything silly to distract me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Eisuke," I replied.

"Then, let's go," he said and I followed him downstairs where we met Soryu and took the elevator down to the second floor. Once again, Eisuke put his arm around my waist just before the elevator doors opened and he and Soryu fell into easy conversation as if they had been talking for some time. The second floor in this area of the hotel was mainly composed of private rooms of various sizes for meetings, receptions and parties. A smaller room had been set up for tonight's dinner with a long dining room table running down the center.

I stood with Eisuke and Soryu at the door to the room, greetings guests as they arrived. Claudio Bucci greeted me with a vague kindness, but Carolina's eyes were full of malice when she looked at me. I was introduced to eight other business men, mostly foreigners, and only one of which had a woman with him. Several of the men had interpreters with them. We arranged ourselves at the long table with care. I sat next to Eisuke and the one man who had brought his wife, her name was Maritza Hernandez, sat across from Eisuke so that Maritza sat across from me. Carolina sat to Maritza's left, diagonally two seats away from Eisuke. She was close enough to speak to him, but would have to raise her voice to do so. Soryu sat on my right, across from Carolina, obviously being thrown to the wolves.

The meal began peacefully enough. Eisuke was talking to some of the businessmen to his left and Maritza was speaking to me through her interpreter, asking questions about Japanese culture and sharing some insights about life in Mexico. Soryu was talking to Carolina in Japanese, keeping her preoccupied, I assumed, so that she would not bother Eisuke.

When the second course arrived, Maritza began speaking to her husband and I concentrated on my food. It had been over twenty-four hours since I'd eaten much of anything, so I was ready to enjoy the pasta that was placed in front of me by a server. As I ate, my eyes wandered to Eisuke, watching his profile as he ate his food and continued his conversation with the other men. He was so handsome and graceful, just watching him could be a pleasure, if I pushed aside the reality of him owning me and the threat of punishment that underlay our interactions. His every movement seemed to be carefully controlled, perfectly orchestrated. He belonged on camera, not in a business meeting.

I smiled to myself as a thought popped into my head. Eisuke was the sort of man that I could picture being interviewed on a talk show and saying, " _I was just walking in the park and a man came up to me and asked me if I'd like to be a model. The next thing I knew I was walking a runway in Milan and everyone was saying that I was the best male model in the world_." He was Zoolander! Now I was giggling to myself over my pasta. I remembered talking to Sakiko in the employee locker room and telling her that Yasu Ueda was my fantasy husband. Now, Frappuccino Zoolander was officially my fantasy boyfriend. Or fake boyfriend. I imagined Eisuke at a photo shoot staring into the camera the way that he normally stared so intently at me and the other people around him. My giggling grew a little louder.

A hand settled on my thigh and Eisuke leaned in close, whispering into my ear. "Have you had too much wine, Olivia?"

I tipped my head back to look up at him. His bedroom eyes dove into my own laughter-filled gaze. His eyes narrowed. I could feel him searching the depths of my soul, trying to determine what I was laughing about.

"It's nothing," I said, working hard to calm myself down. "I just thought of something funny. I'm okay now."

His gaze fell from my eyes to my lips. An alarm sounded in my heart. I sucked my lips in and bit down on them, trying to conceal them from his sight. His hand settled on my shoulder, and he leaned in, tracing his tongue over the line created by my hidden lips. A complicated twist of emotions trembled through me. I wanted to run and hide but I knew what my role was. I released my lips with a sigh, giving them over to his exploration. His tongue licked over my lower lip and then he sucked the plump flesh into his mouth, nibbling on it tenderly.

" _Damn you, Frappuccino Zoolander_ ," I thought, trying desperately to hold onto myself while his lips were enticing me to let everything go. I curled my toes into my shoes and pressed my feet down into the floor. " _I'm at dinner. This is nothing. This is an act. Don't fall for it._ "

His hand on my shoulder tightened, and I could hear his voice so clearly that he may as well have been talking to me. "Remember your role, Olivia. Kiss me back."

I relaxed my lips, opening to him, my tongue slipped out to stroke quickly over his upper lip before returning back to the safety of my own mouth. His hand moved from my shoulder to the back of my head, holding me every so gently, while his tongue followed mine like predator after prey. He took my mouth as if he owned it, his tongue stroking confidently over mine and demanding a response from my own, commanding desire to rise up inside of me in a wave that threatened to draw me under.

His lips left mine, and I gasped breathlessly. His head tipped down so that he could look into my eyes, his own eyes glinting with warning. His mouth dipped to whisper in my ear. "Do not forget yourself."

He turned his back on me, returning to his conversation. I stared back down at my pasta, my appetite suddenly nonexistent. My cheeks flushed, I tried to hide the fact that I was breathless and get a grip on myself. " _Don't forget yourself, Olivia. Don't forget who you are dealing with. He's always at least one step ahead of you. He's always completely in control. Keep yourself in line, and keep his lips off of you_."

"Eisuke, Darling," Carolina's voice rang out, and I looked up to see her staring at me , her expression livid. She'd seen Eisuke kissing me, obviously, and was not the least bit happy about it. Now she was calling out to him in Japanese. "I want to talk for tomorrow. We plan to go to zoo?"

Eisuke broke off the discussion that he was having with the other men to turn to Carolina. His hand came down on my knee. "That's right, Carolina. The plans for the zoo are already made. I am sure that we will have a lot of fun."

"Carolina," I chimed in. "I am so looking forward to this trip to the zoo. It is too bad that you can't bring little Button. I'm sure that he would have so much fun seeing all of the other animals and barking at them."

A man called for Eisuke's attention and he turned back to the other side of the table. I continued with my attempt to distract Carolina. "Do you have a favorite animal, Carolina? Something you are hoping to see at the zoo?"

Carolina's eyes narrowed at me. "I love all the animals. But I hope not to see the snake. There is too many snakes in my area now."

"Ah, snakes," Soryu said with a laugh, joining the conversation. "I love snakes. I had a pet snake when I was a child. A small snake that I caught in a park."

I smiled gratefully at Soryu, and Carolina said, "A small snake, Soryu? I have to be sure Soryu must only have a large snake."

Her voice was so suggestive that it sent chills of disgust down my spine. I looked up to see Soryu frowning slightly.

"Carolina," I interjected, hoping to turn the conversation away from conjectures about the size of Soryu's 'snake'. "How long have you had Button? I am so jealous that you have a dog."

"For three months only," Carolina replied. I could see that she was only answering me to avoid looking rude to the other guests. "But my love for him is big. Always I have much love to give."

She looked suggestively at Soryu and then flicked her eyes over to include Eisuke, although his back was turned to her as he said something about ventures and capital.

"What from you, Olivia?" she asked. "You have no pet? You are small and have small heart to give?"

"Well, I must say that at the moment all of my love goes to Eisuke," I said, forcing a little giggle. "It wouldn't be fair to get a pet right now."

The conversation was starting to make me queasy, so it was a good thing that Maritza turned her attention to our discussion and had her interpreter interject for her. "I have three dogs. One poodle and two chihuahuas. They are like children to me."

"Did you bring them to Japan with you?" I asked.

"No, but once I took the poodle to France with me..." Maritza began telling stories about traveling with her dogs and thankfully Carolina was drawn into the conversation as she attempted to prove that Button was the better traveler.

Soon after that the dinner was over, everyone shook hands and promised to meet up again at that night's IVC party. Eisuke lead me to the elevator, dropping his hand from my waist as soon as the doors slid closed. This time, however, his conversation with Soryu became more animated the moment we were cut off from the other guests.

"Chao says that he is all in for the Russia project, but he's lying. I'd say he's going to string us along until Phase 2 is about midway through and then pull out. We'll have to make arrangements to negate any impact that might have," Eisuke said in a rapid-fire voice that was all business. "Probst is saying no on the expansion into Belgium, he's acting like he thinks it's a bad idea. He's probably having money issues, although it is possible that he is pulling back because of something health related. I didn't like his coloring. Look into both of those things. Naranjo is hiding something about what went down in Geneva. We'll have to look into it further..."

His voice went on and on, listing his thoughts on the other men at the dinner and their hidden agendas and intentions. Soryu listened quietly, he must have been making mental note of everything that Eisuke was saying. The list continued for the entire time we rode the elevator and walked into the living room. We stood for several minutes, listening to Eisuke as he finished his rundown on the dinner. Finally, Eisuke gave a quick nod to Soryu, turned on his heel and headed upstairs.

I turned to Soryu, the amazement that I felt coming out in my voice. "How does Eisuke know all of those things?" I asked.

Soryu looked down at me with unwavering eyes. "Eisuke sees everything."

I looked at the stairs that Eisuke had recently climbed, remembering what Eisuke had said to me just the night before.

" _I saw you this morning in the lobby. You were with the girl who assists at the roulette table_."

A chill went through me. He'd really seen me at the back of that crowd and remembered doing it. A stranger that he was almost certainly seeing for the first time. In a crowd of hundreds of people. He'd even taken note of who I was with. Was this how he saw the world? In infinite detail? Earlier I had thought that he was always one step ahead of me, but that was far from the truth.

"Eisuke knows everything."

"Eisuke sees everything."

He was light years ahead of me. I didn't have a chance of playing his game on equal terms and influencing him to let me go. I would simply have to wait. Just like he had said. Wait until he no longer had a use for me.

An hour later I was once again on the express elevator with Eisuke and Soryu. This time Baba and Ota had also joined us. My fashion team had had another go at me. My makeup was much more elaborate for the IVC party, and I was wearing a long black formal dress that hugged my curves. There was also a matching jewelry set consisting of a necklace, bracelet, ring and earrings. I didn't want to think too much about it, but they had to be real diamonds. Eisuke's girlfriend would wear nothing less.

The party looked just like the one the night before. A room full of beautiful people in expensive clothes. This time everyone looked at me, their eyes judging me silently instead of dismissing me immediately as they had the night before. For the first time I realized that at least some of these people had been at the Auction the previous night. They'd watched me be sold to the highest bidder and held their tongues. What did they think of me now, as I walked beside Eisuke, his hands always touching me in some way, the two of us smiling as if we were head over heels in love?

Soryu, Baba and Ota disappeared into the crowd soon after we entered the party. At times I would catch glances of them across the large room. Ota ended up with the same woman from the night before – Yumi? I watched in disgust as she clung to his arm, a drink always in her free hand. I couldn't believe that she'd forgiven him for his behavior the night before. I couldn't understand why she was drinking again tonight. Was it not possible for her to learn from past mistakes? Maybe she didn't even consider passing out while a man was fucking her a mistake. Maybe it was just a normal night.

The party, it turned out, was as boring as hell. It was a bit of a slap in the face to realize that the special parties that hotel employees had planned and prepared for so many months were no fun at all. I followed Eisuke around the room as he greeted different guests and small groups. One group would get small talk about the IVC events, the next person would be asked about their family, the next would be talked with for a short time about business and then on to the next group to begin again. As I accompanied Eisuke around the room, being introduced to far too many people to remember, listening to far too many boring conversations and many more that weren't even conducted in Japanese, the pain and fatigue that I was feeling grew exponentially.

Finally, I could take it no longer. As Eisuke parted from two men he'd been talking to about investments, I pulled on his sleeve. "Eisuke, please," I said quietly. "I am in too much pain and I'm so tired. I can't do this anymore."

"I see," he answered. "Come this way."

He put his hand on my elbow and guided me through the crowd to a door on the back wall, opening it with his black keycard. The room was just a couple of doors down from the room where I had cleaned up Ota's girl the night before. As I stepped through the doorway into the room, Eisuke put his hand on my ass. I knew that it was done in such a way that anyone watching us would have seen it. I continued walking into the room and headed over to the couch, gingerly lowering myself to lie down on it with a sigh.

"Great, now everyone thinks we're having sex in here," I said tiredly.

"Yes," Eisuke confirmed. "It would be strange for the two of us to come in here for any other reason. We certainly aren't in here talking about business. You are in pain, but I can't leave the party so early. Relax here."

I watched him take a seat and pull out his phone. " _Thank you, Frappuccino Zoolander_ ," I thought to myself. " _That is the nicest thing you have ever said to me._ " With a sigh I lay my wrist over my eyes to block out the light and went immediately to sleep.

Some time later a quiet knock on the door woke me up. I opened my eyes drowsily and noticed that Eisuke was staring at something. I followed his line of sight and realized that the long slit in my dress had allowed the skirt to open and expose basically all of my legs as I slept. With a gasp, I sat up and pulled the fabric back into place. I could feel my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Eisuke said, "Come in," as soon as my legs were covered.

Soryu entered the room. He walked over to me immediately and held out a bottle of water and some ibuprofen. "I'm sorry it took so long to get here," he said. "I was tied up for awhile downstairs."

"Thank you, Soryu," I replied. "I'm glad that you got here as soon as you could. Although now everyone probably thinks we're having a threesome in here."

As I swallowed the pills Soryu dropped into a chair and began updating Eisuke on the Auction that was happening downstairs.

" _This is important,"_ I thought. Soryu hadn't just apologized, he'd given me a little bit of an explanation. Soryu was normally silent and kept his comments to a minimum unless he was putting on an act to achieve a goal. The fact that he'd added a few extra words to his remark made me feel that he had accepted me in some way. Perhaps he had grown to like me or trust me a bit after our long day together. He might even appreciate the fact that we'd worked together to contain Carolina.

I let out a happy little sigh. Even the tiniest hint of a possible ally felt good. I knew that Soryu was never going to side with me against Eisuke or help me to escape, but it was still nice to know that someone cared about my wellbeing at least a little bit.

"Are you ready to go back out there?" Eisuke asked.

When I answered in the affirmative, we all stood up and Eisuke suddenly stepped over to me and kissed me hard. The unexpected kiss left me stunned and unable to respond. I didn't even understand what was going on. There was no audience to impress or agenda to meet.

He broke off the kiss and looked down at me, inspecting my lips. "That'll do," he said. "If we've been in here fucking all this time, your lipstick shouldn't look so nice."

He grabbed a tissue to clean my lipstick off of his own lips before reaching up and tousling my hair. "That's an improvement. Fix your expression. You coming out of here looking confused and slightly angry is going to call my reputation into question."

"Well you did invite Soryu to join us," I pointed out. "But I'll see what I can do."

With a happy smile, I took Eisuke's arm and gazed up at him adoringly. "Thank you ever so much for fucking me in a side room at your party, My Love. You really know how to keep things fresh and romantic."

I heard Soryu snort behind me and figured I'd scored a point towards our budding friendship.

Eisuke responded to my teasing with his usual smirk. "Control the impudence," he ordered, "before I have to punish you." But there was a tiny thread of laughter running through his voice. I hesitantly chalked up a point for building a friendly relationship with Eisuke, although at this point I couldn't even decide if that were a good thing.

The moment we stepped out of the room, I noticed Carolina standing near the champagne waterfall, but when I met her eyes she suddenly turned and disappeared further into the crowd. She definitely wasn't happy that I'd spent time alone with Eisuke and Soryu. _Rack up another point for Olivia_.

But my triumph was short lived. It took Eisuke over an hour to work his way back through the party towards the double doors that lead into the lobby, saying goodbye to so many people that I didn't bother to keep track.

When the elevator doors finally closed on us, I sighed dramatically. "Thank God that's over. I never want to go to one of those things again. "

Soryu responded with a snort, but Eisuke was back to his cold, practical self. "It was work. It wasn't supposed to be enjoyable."

"You're right," I said. "But it's been a hell of a long hard day at work."

The elevator opened and Soryu used his keycard to get us into the penthouse.

"That's true," Eisuke said quietly. "You've done a very good job today, Olivia. Soryu will give you your medicine and then you can go to to bed."

Soryu pulled a small plastic bag that held two pills from his pocket and handed it to me. I thanked him quietly and crossed the room towards the stairs, noticing Eisuke and Soryu sit down with Mamoru and fall immediately into an intense discussion.

As I climbed the stairs, each step seemed to drain more energy from my body. When I arrived in the bedroom, I eased into the chair that was closest to the door and kicked off my high heels, unable to go any further.

I sat, quietly reviewing my day as I gathered the energy to get myself ready for bed. The day had been crazy to say the least, but I felt that overall I had performed my assigned task well. I wasn't looking forward to the following day with its trip to the zoo and what was most likely a long list of challenges, but I was fairly certain that I would be able to handle whatever happened.

I intentionally skirted around thoughts of Eisuke. Not at all ready to touch the tangled mystery that he seemed to be. I was doing what he asked and that was all that mattered at the moment. Every successful task would take me one step closer to freedom. For all I knew, as soon as Carolina was safely on her jet back to Italy, Eisuke would decide that he didn't need me anymore and let me go. This time next week I could be back in bed in my room in the employee dorm. The idea brought a smile to my face.

Promising myself that I would redouble my efforts to get Carolina to give up on Eisuke tomorrow, I finally pushed myself up from the chair to get ready for bed. As I crossed the room, I noticed a small stack of clothes sitting on top of a dresser. On further inspection, they proved to be a pair of blue pajamas with tiny white butterflies, underwear, a sports bra and a pair of socks.

With a sigh of relief, a slipped out of the black dress and peeled off the sticky bra cups that I'd been given to wear in place of a regular bra, tossing them on top of the dresser.

Suddenly the door opened. I quickly brought my arms up and crossed them to cover my bare breasts and then froze in panic, waiting for someone to murmur a quick 'sorry' before leaving the room.

Instead, after a few moments of silence, I heard Eisuke's voice command, "Don't move."

I stood rooted to the spot, my back turned to him, intensely aware that the only thing I wore was a black lace thong. I heard his footsteps cross the room towards me and my heartbeat grew louder and faster with each step.

Finally, he was behind me, so close that I could feel his breath gently ruffling my hair. After what felt like an hour, but was probably only seconds, I felt what must have been his knuckles touch gently onto the small of my back and then begin to trace a slow path up my spine.

By the time his hand was midway up my back, I was trembling and my nipples were tightening into hard points. Heat had begun to pool low in the belly. As his knuckles followed the line of my spine, into the tangle of my hair and towards the nape of my neck, a moan fell, unbidden and unprepared for, from my lips.

The lustful sound echoed through the quiet room. Eisuke's hand paused on its journey up my back. Shame and humiliation filled me. My own body had betrayed me. I lunged forward, snatching the pile of clothes from the dresser, and raced into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind me.

I collapsed onto the floor, hugging the soft pajamas to me as my only source of comfort. I could not want him. It was not right. It was not okay. It was not _fair_.

Suddenly, the cold floor under me and the soft pajamas in my arms quietly absorbing my tears caused memories of my mother's death to flood my mind. I was overcome by an image of myself lying on the floor of our old one-room apartment, crying. Hollow, desperate and alone. Losing everything all at once.

With a strangled cry, I pushed the clothing out of my lap and shot to my feet. Turning on the shower, I took off the black thong and hurried under the spray of water, desperate for my memories to be washed away.

There was no sense ruminating about right and wrong or fairness. I had learned that long ago. There was only taking what little you could scrape together and moving forward. There was only being strong, because every alternative was either impossible or a dead end.

 _It's time to be strong, Olivia. It's time to be strong._

Eisuke's Mental Notes 7/14/18:

 _...Olivia Graham doing well in the role of my girlfriend. She is still quite injured. Must find more opportunities to allow her to rest. Carolina Bucci is not easily accepting defeat, as predicted. Trip to the zoo is scheduled tomorrow. Must do everything to display an intense interest in Olivia. This matter must come to an end as soon as possible. Olivia is a distraction. The hollow of her back is beautiful—Scratch the last statement..._


	3. Control

The next morning I stood in the bathroom, resolutely torturing myself by combing out my hair. I didn't have the patience or the technique that Mika had for gently working out the tangles. Instead, I was punishing myself with the pain in an attempt to build up the courage that I would need to speak to Eisuke.

Overall, my pain level had been better when I woke up this morning. I was grateful for this, knowing that I was going to have another long day of pretending to be Eisuke's girlfriend. I was also beginning to worry about the pain pills. I'd been too happy to wash one down last night, too grateful for the drug to push me into sleep and away from the turmoil of worries and memories that swirled through my mind on an endless loop. I did not want to get into the habit of escaping from my negative thoughts and feelings by taking a pill. The doctor had only given me six pills. I would not be asking for more than that. I was even going to try to not finish the six.

With a sigh of relief, I finished combing my hair and stared at myself in the mirror. I was going to speak to Eisuke. It was going to be humiliating, but it had to be done for my own sanity. It was also going to be hard to be taken seriously wearing pajamas, but I wouldn't have clothes until I'd met with my fashion team and I wasn't going to put off this conversation. I'd woken up this morning to find a bag from one of the hotel's shops sitting next to my futon. Inside of it was a robe. A fluffy pink robe that didn't exactly add to my credibility, but at least felt like another layer of protection.

I marched out to the living room. Eisuke was sitting at his desk working on his computer just as I'd expected him to be. He looked up at me as I approached his desk.

"I just want you to know that moan last night was meaningless."

He stared up at me, his expression unreadable. I forced myself to continue.

"I'm very noisy when it comes to sexual things. I'm a screamer. Someone could get that sort of moan out of me with a handshake. It didn't mean anything."

He continued to stare up into my eyes, as if searching my soul. I stared right back with angry defiance as if I could push his gaze right out of my brain. After several moments of this, I abruptly turned on my heel and left, tossing my hair over my shoulder and striding across the room towards the stairs. Leaving him behind as if he didn't even matter.

And I have to admit that tossing my hair hurt my head, but the move felt right and necessary. I needed to prove that I was in control of myself. Not him.

Downstairs, Soryu was waiting for me as usual. He led me into the dining room where my breakfast was waiting. This time there was rice, soup and salad and Soryu sat down at the table rather than standing to the side and watching me eat.

"Do you like the zoo?" he asked as he handed me my antibiotic and some ibuprofen.

"I've only been there once on a school field trip as a child," I answered. "But I like animals. I'd be really excited to go today if it wasn't for Carolina."

"She is certainly difficult," Soryu said with a little smile. "We'll have to work together to defuse her. Otherwise I might be tempted to throw her in the pit with the lions."

I laughed, happy that he was talking to me. "Well, she does have that mane of curls. She would probably just take over the pit."

"Those poor male lions," Soryu commiserated. "I'll have to rethink my strategy."

"What strategy are we talking about?"

I looked up to see Baba coming into the room. He dropped into a chair next to me with a smile. "Good morning, Kitten."

"We're making plans for dealing with Carolina Bucci," Soryu explained.

"Ah, I'm staying well away from that one," Baba said. "That woman is a maneater if I've ever seen one."

A woman came in and set an omelet and toast in front of Baba. He turned and looked at me. "Are you having fun being Eisuke's love shield?" he asked.

"Ah, I wouldn't say fun," I said. "Is Carolina staying for the entire week of IVC events?"

"Yes," Soryu answered. "From what I understand her departure date is undetermined. I think she'd hoped to move in with Eisuke and stay forever."

"It's funny to think of how much that arrangement would have tortured Eisuke," I said with a smile.

"The claws come out!" Baba cried with a laugh. "We'll have to tell Eisuke to be nicer to you. He wouldn't want you to sabotage his plans."

"No need to worry about that," I assured them. "The only thing I'm worried about is Carolina, herself. She doesn't seem at all ready to give up."

"No, she doesn't," Soryu agreed.

"I feel like I'm missing out on all the fun," Baba complained. "But there is no way I am putting myself in that woman's path."

"Baba, did you sell the pacemaker prototype at the Auction last night?" I asked, worried about what had become of the important technology.

"Yes, Olivia," he answered. "No worries. The best man won the bid. He owns multiple factories. So he has the experience, the people and the resources necessary to get this project up and running quickly."

I nodded and hesitantly asked another question. "And do you steal a lot of things for the Auction?"

"It's my job," he said bluntly. "Professional thief. At your service should you ever need anything stolen, Kitten."

"It seems odd that Eisuke would allow a thief into the hotel," I pointed out.

"Eisuke and I are associates. I don't steal things from the hotel or people staying in the hotel," he explained. "Or his business associates for the most part. I do sometimes try to steal a girl from Ota."

"So you steal things for the Auction. And Soryu, you're Eisuke's business associate?" I asked. "Sometimes it seems like you are his assistant, but sometimes it doesn't."

"I'm not his assistant," Soryu said. "He and I are partners in the Auction. I manage the Auction, Baba and Ota also help with that. Eisuke and I are also partners in other matters."

Baba gave a short laugh. "It seems like Soryu is an assistant because he's the hands and Eisuke is the giant brain. Eisuke needs people to take care of tasks for him, and Soryu is his right hand man. Soryu can't stop working. He's always on. So he's the perfect person to do everything that Eisuke needs – from something as small as fetching a pen to managing business deals. Soryu can handle any task. And neither of them can trust an employee to take care of some of the things they need accomplished, so they are left with each other. And Ota, Mamoru and me, of course, but none of us work as much as Eisuke and Soryu."

"But Ota is an artist and Mamoru is a detective," I said thoughtfully. "Why would they work for Eisuke?"

"For money and fun?" Baba suggested. "Ota authenticates the art pieces for the auction and Mamoru deals with the shady legal stuff."

"I guess it makes a sort of sense," I said, still trying to understand. I knew there was a lot Baba wasn't telling me. There was a lot of crime and underground things going on and all of these men were involved in illegal dealings.

"If you're finished, Olivia, we should get started on our day," Soryu said quietly. He was watching me more intently than usual. I knew that he was trying to judge my feelings about the Auction and the group of men surrounding Eisuke, but I was unsure of those feelings myself.

After breakfast, Soryu led me down one of the hallways that branched off the living room and opened a door. "We've set up this room for your fashion team," he explained.

Mika, Rin and Daichi were hanging out inside waiting for me. I looked around curiously. The room must have been remodeled to turn it into what looked like a salon. The smell of paint was fresh in the air and the flooring was new. A hair and makeup station had been set up, complete with a large mirror surrounded by light bulbs, a salon sink for washing my hair and what seemed like an endless amount of supplies. Racks and shelves for storing clothes and shoes lined the walls and a screen for changing stood in the corner. There was even a sitting area for the team to relax in while the members of the team were waiting for their turns to work on me.

Today, Rin started with my makeup, explaining that she was going for a natural look since I would be outside all day. When Mika styled my hair – using a wand to add some loose curls – the team began to ask me about last night's IVC party. They were just as disillusioned as I was to hear that it was boring.

"I'm sure that some of the guests must have been having fun," I said with a sigh. "But from what I could see it was mostly just people networking."

"Maybe that's what passes for fun for the rich," Daichi said with a laugh. "Can I see your arm, Olivia? I don't want to put a jacket on you today, it's pretty hot out there and you'll be outside in the sun."

I pushed up my sleeve to show him the bruise on my upper arm that had been created by the pin. It was huge and dark, really quite gruesome.

"Goodness," Rin said, turning her eyes away from the sight. "That looks awful!"

"When I fell, the first thing that hit was my arm. It came down on the edge of a stair," I explained with a lie.

"Well, I don't think we'll be able to cover this up with makeup," Daichi said thoughtfully. "I've got a pale blue dress in a really light material with three-quarter sleeves. I think that will work fine for today."

I tried the dress on. It fit perfectly and I was able to appreciate my transformation a little more than the day before. I decided that I was going to have to start paying attention to what the team was doing with my hair and makeup. When I returned to my normal life, I should be able to make a bit more of myself than I'd been doing in the past. It seemed like it would be a waste to always wear my hair up in a ponytail or a bun, when I was learning just how pretty I could look if only I would put in a little more effort and creativity.

I thanked my team for a job well done and walked them out to the elevator, Soryu joining us along the way.

"Carolina has been calling Eisuke," Soryu said as soon as the elevator doors closed. "She's anxious to get things started."

When we stepped back into the penthouse, Eisuke was already coming down the stairs. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white v-neck shirt.

" _Frappuccino Zoolander!_ " I screamed inside my head in an attempt to drown out thoughts my mind was generating about how sexy he looked. " _Frappuccino enters the runway sporting a casual look and his trademark smirk! Sell those jeans, Zoolander!_ "

Eisuke gave me a long look as he crossed the room towards us. Whether it had to do with last night, my awkward declaration this morning or because I'd had a strange look on my face when I was imagining him walking the runway, I couldn't guess. More than likely it was all three. I followed him into the elevator hoping that he couldn't read my mind as well as he could the businessmen from last night's dinner.

When Eisuke took my hand in his just before the elevator doors slid open, I felt my stomach give a strange lurching twist and a gasp escaped my lips. He strode forward into the lobby, pulling me along as I struggled with an internal storm. I _needed_ him to let me go. I _needed_ him to stop touching me. His hand holding onto mine was causing giant tidal waves of thoughts and emotions to collide within me. I couldn't contain them. I began to tremble and my eyes darting around in panic, searching for a means of escape.

"Olivia, is something wrong?" Soryu asked, staring down at me with concern in his eyes.

"I...I need the restroom," I answered. Even my voice was trembling. Eisuke had stopped walking when Soryu had spoken and I could feel his eyes on the back of my head, but I couldn't turn around and look at him.

Soryu nodded and said, "Here, let me take you."

He placed his hand on my elbow. Eisuke's hand dropped from mine and I was suddenly able to breath. I had to force myself not to drop my face into my hands, to walk steadily across the lobby towards the women's restroom.

"Wait," I said, reaching up and grasping at Soryu's hand where it held my arm. "Not the restroom. I need somewhere private. Please, Soryu."

His dark eyes looked down into mine, searching almost as intently as Eisuke. Finally, he nodded and we veered off course. He led me to a private check-in office and used his black keycard to let me in.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, obviously not wanting to close the door and leave me by myself.

"I'll be okay, Soryu," I answered, hoping that I was telling the truth. "I just a need a few minutes to think and calm myself down."

With a nod, he stepped out of the room and closed the door. The office was small, with only a table and a few chairs. I sank into one of the chairs and put my head down on the table. My mind was spinning, my thoughts a tangled mess. _What had he done to me?_ I raised my head and stared down at the hand that he had touched.

 _I wanted him_. And not in an objective, ' _isn't that guy handsome_ ' sort of way. My body had responded to his touch like a flower turning to open to the sun. I'd wanted to give myself over to him, to cling to him. The powerful attraction felt like an ambush and it was more than physical. I was intrigued by the clues I'd found to his personality. Little threads that hinted at his intelligence, his self-control, the mystery of his secret underground dealings and his own inner workings. Even the things that would normally have repelled me were drawing me in. His cold authority, his disinterest, the streak of cruelty and the arrogance that seemed to underlie everything that he did. I wanted to discover his secrets and know all of him. I wanted to wrap myself in him and lose sight of the light.

But that was only one part of me. Another part was desperate to fight off these feelings. My body may want him, but my sense of self was appalled by the idea that I could have such strong feelings for a man that I had only just met, a criminal who had purchased me in an auction, a devil who had command of me. These feelings of desire and romantic interest were baseless, false, flighty, immature, and most of all dangerous. I had always prided myself on being practical and level-headed. I could not and would not allow a pretty face and a mysterious mien to turn me into someone that I had never been and never wanted to be.

Seemingly without participation from my conscious mind, my body and subconscious were fighting a war, internally struggling for the right to control me, to determine what sort of woman I was. When he had touched me, a battle had been pitched as feelings of pleasure and desire were met with anger, self-reproach and a swift attempt to quash any and all warm responses to him. If the simple act of him taking my hand had left me overcome by my own inner conflict, how would I manage a day's trip to the zoo?

I pushed myself to my feet and stared down at my hands as they gripped the edge of the table. I did not want to want him. I had to believe that I had control over myself even if my body was betraying me. It was not necessary to give in. It was not necessary to respond. I could push my desire for him far away from myself and focus on my job. The important thing was to successfully complete the task at hand, to get myself one step closer to freedom.

When I stepped out of the office, Soryu was leaning against the wall outside waiting for me. He raised his eyebrows at me and I responded with a nod. We crossed the lobby and joined Eisuke and Carolina.

Eisuke stepped to me and put his hand on my waist as I greeted Carolina. "Have you regained control of yourself?" he whispered against my ear, his voice laced with anger rather than concern.

"Yes, of course," I replied quietly, striving to be just as cold as he was. "It was just a thing."

At Carolina's insistence, we hurried out to the limo. Carolina attempted to finagle her way into sitting next to Eisuke, just as she had done the day before, but he and Soryu were ready for her this time. They executed a move that looked as if it had been choreographed by a professional and Carolina ended up sitting next to Soryu.

Eisuke was touching me during the entire ride. He held my hand, rested his hand on my thigh or put his arm around me, pulling me close. It provided me plenty of opportunity to practice keeping my wayward feelings in check. And I played my own part well, playing with his fingers, smiling at him adoringly and stroking his hair. _His soft, silky hair…_

Sometimes it was all that I could do to restrain myself. I had to keep up a running diatribe in my head. " _Frappuccino Zoolander has been chosen to be the next spokesmodel for Bubbles shampoo! Critics are already raving about the way he brushes his hair out of his eyes and stares directly into the camera!"_ I did my best to minimize him and make him ridiculous. The strategy seemed to lose a little of its power with each use. There was no way that I could truly diminish this man in my mind. He'd purchased me with a word, he had the respect of wealthy businessmen from all over the world, he gave commands with a nod of his head.

If anything, I was the one that was laughable. A poor maid, dressed up in expensive clothes and pretending to be his girlfriend. Of course I was immediately fighting feelings of attraction for him. He _was_ Prince Charming, but I was just the Ugly Stepsister. Not even the Ugly Stepsister. Carolina got that honor. I was a maid carrying a tray of champagne at the ball. Not even worth mentioning.

" _Olivia?_ "

Eisuke's voice was laced with loving concern, but his eyes glinted with anger.

"Oh! Sorry!" I said with a little laugh at myself. "I sorta dozed off."

He took my hand and helped me out of the limo, saying with a smile, "I'll have to try to let you sleep a little more tonight."

"Ah, Eisuke! A man with passion!" Carolina declared and made a move as if she were going to step over and take his arm.

Soryu intervened smoothly, cutting Carolina off and suggesting that she help him get the tickets. With a shrug, she turned to join him, leaving Eisuke and I alone.

"What in the hell are you doing?" he demanded as I blinked up at him. "Did you take a pain pill?"

"No," I said with a shake of my head. "No. I just...I have a lot on my mind."

"You need to gain control of yourself," he snapped. "This is not going to work if you walk around like a zombie all day. You must maintain your role."

"Yes. I know you're right. I will," I said distractedly, working to pull myself together. I needed to keep Eisuke happy. I needed to get this right.

Soryu and Carolina walked over to us, Soryu holding a set of tickets in his hands as well as a few zoo pamphlets. He handed a pamphlet to both Carolina and I. "Here ladies, why don't you take a look at the map and decide what you're most interested in seeing."

I studied the map as we waited in line and went through the ticket turnstile. Eisuke's hand rested on the small of my back the entire time, but I held firm control of my reactions. Once we were inside the zoo, Soryu asked where we'd like to go to first.

"I want to see lions and tigers," Carolina declared, bouncing happily. She was wearing a very low-cut shirt and a pushup bra that made her enormous breasts look like they were on the verge of an avalanche.

Soryu turned his eyes to me, raising his eyebrows to indicate that he expected me to share my opinion.

"I'd like to see the otters and the owls, they're on the way to the lions and tigers. And we'll also pass the pandas too. I'd love to see the pandas," I said, suddenly realizing how excited I was to see the animals.

"That sounds like a great plan," Eisuke said, giving me a little hug that felt like a gesture of approval for getting myself together. "I'm looking forward to seeing the pandas myself."

As we walked through the zoo, Carolina began playing a complicated game, flirting with one man and then the other while interrupting, ignoring and talking over me as much as possible. She was on one hundred percent of the time, always looking for a way to get attention from Eisuke and Soryu or show her disrespect for me.

At the otter enclosure, I'd stepped a few feet away from Eisuke in order to get a better look at a baby otter. Carolina used this opportunity to sidle up to him and press herself against him. The day was hot, just as Daichi had said it would be, and a thick layer of perspiration shimmered on Carolina's chest and breasts. Seeing her squash her sweaty bosom against Eisuke's arm was enough to turn my stomach.

"Look at otter stand tall like hard-on cock," she said with a laugh.

I thought my eyes were going to bug out of my head when I heard her say something so graphic to Eisuke. Had she no shame? And she must have specifically learned words related to sex when she was studying Japanese. The thought of it made me shudder.

"Darling," I called, trying to rescue Eisuke from her grasp. "Please come and take a picture of me. I think if I stand here you can get the mother and baby otter in the shot."

"You make selfie!" Carolina commanded before he had a chance to answer me. She turned and tugged on his arm and indicating the information sign about otters that was posted on the side of their habitat. "I like Eisuke read sign to me."

Not knowing what to do, I watched Eisuke for a clue. With his usual smirk, he moved to read the sign to Carolina, attempting to twist his way out of her grasp as he did so. But she held tight like a barnacle.

I quickly took a selfie and scurried over to insinuate myself between the two of them, displaying my picture to Eisuke as soon as he finished reciting the contents of the sign.

Taking my phone in his hand, he held it up and turned to get the best view of the screen, considering the angle of the sun. This move forced Carolina to give up her hold on him and he quickly pulled me back to his side, using me as a barrier between himself and Carolina. I sighed in relief when his move was successful and Carolina gave up and walked away. After that I did my best to stay glued to Eisuke, but Carolina continued to take advantage of every opening to come between us and press herself to him.

When she wasn't flirting with Eisuke, she was working on Soryu. Without a shield, Soryu was mostly defenseless and Carolina was all over him, clinging to him and making references to sex whenever the vaguest opportunity presented itself.

By the time we decided to leave the zoo, I was exhausted. I'd been one step behind Carolina all day, desperately trying to thwart her every move towards Eisuke and stretching my imagination to find ways to interrupt her relentless attack on Soryu. At the same time I was trying to hold back the feelings that Eisuke's touch sparked in me and he was touching me _all the time_ as we worked together to fend off Carolina.

As we passed by the zoo's gift shop, Carolina exclaimed, "Here! Look! Gold!"

We followed her into the gift shop to find that an area had been sectioned off to sell special jewelry as a way to raise funds for the zoo. Carolina breezed into the jewelry section like a woman on a mission, while the rest of us followed behind quietly.

"Come, Soryu! Look now! Lion be like you!" Carolina's voice was overly loud for the shop. I saw several patrons looking over at her with displeasure. Soryu also noticed and went to stand next to her at a display of necklaces, speaking to her in a muted voice in an attempt to get her to lower her own.

"Come here," Eisuke breathed into my ear, and turned me around to face the counter that was behind us. There were many rings lined up on the counter, most of them with animal motifs, but Eisuke reached for a gold ring that had a small flower on it. "Try this on."

I moved to take the ring from him, but he took my hand in his and slid the ring onto my finger. The fit was perfect. The small golden circle had a tiny white lily on it and the petals of the lily were edged in gold. The night before I'd worn diamond jewelry to the IVC party, but I hadn't liked what must have been an outrageously expensive diamond ring anywhere near as much as I did the delicate ring that Eisuke had just picked out.

I looked up from admiring the ring to see Eisuke passing some bills over to the cashier. "Thank you," I said and couldn't help but add, "I love it."

"Good," Eisuke said. "You've tried hard today."

A bit of fuzzy warmth blossomed in my chest. It felt good to have my hard work acknowledged. I had tried my best, even though Carolina had won nearly every play. I was glad that Eisuke was rewarding me rather than being angry at me. He could have reacted harshly because my pathetic game of keep-up had left him exposed to Carolina far too many times, instead he was showing that he appreciated my efforts.

"Eisuke!" Carolina barreled across the shop towards us. "I did buy so many gold with tiger and lion. Eisuke is my tiger and Soryu is my lion!"

I sighed and moved closer to press myself into Eisuke's warmth before Carolina could. His arms went around me as he complimented Carolina's choices and we left the shop. I realized, belatedly, that he had bought me the ring when Carolina wasn't looking. He hadn't scored any points in the game by buying me the ring. He had bought it just to be nice.

"Olivia," a voice whispered nearby, fingers stroking gently from my temple down past the curve of my cheek. A soft moan fell from my lips and I turned my face into the warm fingers that were caressing me.

" _Olivia."_ This time the soft voice was accompanied by a thumb tracing over my lower lip.

As another moan escaped my mouth I came awake with a start. Eisuke's face was inches from mine, his eyes gazing into my own. His thumb left my lips and stroked over my cheek as he said, "You fell asleep," and moved to give me a gentle kiss.

My brain was too sleep-addled to handle this. He was too close, too beautiful, his kiss too warm. My lips wanted to chase after his and entice them back to dally with mine. My hand went to his shoulder and sat there as my mind couldn't decide whether to pull him closer or push him away.

He smirked down at me, his eyes flashing. "I really must let you get more sleep."

"Certainly, yes!" Carolina's voice cried.

I glanced up to see her glaring at me over Eisuke's shoulder. Had she been there, staring at me, the entire time? And all that I could see had been his face?

"Olivia can be so tired," Carolina continued. "She must be given to bed now. We will go to dinner, Eisuke, Soryu and Carolina only."

 _What?_ Anger flared inside of me. This bitch was not going to send me up to bed so that she could get her claws on "my" man.

"Oh no!" I said flirtatiously, purposefully moving my hand from Eisuke's shoulder and tangling my fingers into his hair. "I'm so very hungry and we're going to the Purple Horizon tonight. I've been looking forward to it so much. Don't say that I have to stay home and sleep."

I pouted up at him cutely, my fingers caressing the back of his head. Carolina looked like she wanted to reach over his shoulder and scratch my eyes out.

"Of course you're coming to dinner with us. I couldn't be happy unless you were there," Eisuke said in a seductive voice.

"Oh, Eisuke, you always say the sweetest things," I said breathlessly, slipping my free hand around his neck and moving up to press my lips against his. _"This is what you get if you wake me up,"_ I thought. _"A little bit crazy and a little bit reckless."_ I was having too much fun playing my part and I really wanted to stick it to Carolina after the way she had treated me all day at the zoo.

I'd forgotten about Eisuke and his kisses. When my lips touched his, he immediately took over, invading my mouth with his tongue while his fingers stroked circles in the small of my back. He broke off the kiss for a moment to murmur, " _Olivia, my love"_ before dipping back down to take my mouth with even more passion than before, pulling me close and burying a hand in my hair.

The 'Olivia, my love' was my saving grace. It was so obviously an act that it allowed me to keep my wits about me. I won't say that I didn't enjoy the kiss, but I didn't give in to the dark pit of desire that swirled at my feet, inviting me to jump in and forget everything else.

He continued kissing me until the limo pulled up in front of the hotel. Which wasn't terribly long, but still far too long to be considered polite. When we climbed out of the car, Carolina pushed past me roughly and stormed ahead into the lobby. Soryu raised his eyebrows at us and then hurried after her. The poor man was being stuck with far too much of the dirty work.

Eisuke took my hand and I turned to smile up at him triumphantly. "That was perfect!" I declared. "You're a genius. Stopping in the middle and saying my name. You, Sir, deserve an Oscar for that performance."

"You did quite well yourself," he said as we walked into the hotel. His voice was as bored and emotionless as usual, but I didn't let it get me down.

"All of her games at the zoo were for nothing," I said with a laugh. "She completely wasted her time."

"Of course," Eisuke replied. "There is no chance that she will win. The game was over before it even began."

"You're right," I said as we stepped into the elevator and the doors slid closed. I dropped his hand and moved to lean carelessly against the wall. "I know that she can't actually make you date her, but I hate the fact that she is even trying. It's so disrespectful and spoiled. It infuriates me to see a woman acting like that."

He turned his head to look at me, his usual smirk on his face. "You're putting too much emotion into it."

"Probably," I said with a shrug. "But at least it isn't boring."

I don't know where my cavalier attitude had come from. More than likely it was the double triumph of showing up Carolina and maintaining self-control while Eisuke was kissing me. With lots of tongue. I felt like a soldier ready to go into battle. Completely unstoppable.

When we arrived back at the penthouse, I took a shower and presented myself to my fashion team wearing my new pink robe. They commented on my happiness and rosy cheeks and asked a lot of questions about our trip to the zoo.

"What's this?" Daichi asked, picking up my hand. "You got a new ring?"

"Eisuke picked it out for me," I explained, smiling down at it.

"He has a good eye. That ring is perfect for you," Daichi proclaimed. "And I have the perfect dress to wear with it!"

He hurried over to the racks of clothes and pulled out a short white dress with an off the shoulder cowl neckline. He paired it with a beautiful white shawl, a simple gold necklace and earrings and gold heels.

"Please, Mika," he begged. "We have to put her hair up in some way to go with this dress. Work your magic!"

Mike turned to me with a frown of concentration on her face. "Show me where your head hurts," she instructed.

"In the back and on the right side," I said, indicating the areas that had been injured.

"Okay," she said with a determined nod and began working big curls into my hair with a wand. Once the curls were finished, she carefully pulled back the left side of my hair and used an elegant white clip to hold it in place.

Now that my dress for the evening had been changed, Rin touched up my makeup, adding a bit of gold to my eye shadow.

This time when I stood in front of the mirror to see the final product that the team had created, I really felt like I looked beautiful. Mika, Rin and Daichi were also very happy with the job they had done. They chattered excitedly, complimenting me and each other as we walked out to the living room and I joined Eisuke and Soryu to go to the restaurant.

That night we dined at the Purple Horizon, the restaurant that was at the top of the Tres Spades. We arrived at the restaurant before Carolina, but she stalked up to the table several minutes later with a strangely vicious confidence. Eisuke put his hand on my thigh and squeezed, telegraphing a warning, but it wasn't necessary. I could clearly see that danger was afoot.

Carolina was accompanied by the young woman who had been with her when she got off of her private jet. The woman introduced herself as Gia Conti, Carolina's interpreter. I found it very strange that she had brought an interpreter along to the meal. She normally spoke in Japanese, and if she didn't feel like making the effort, Eisuke spoke Italian. Did she think she was missing something in our conversation and Gia would fill her in on the details later? Whatever the reason, the presence of the interpreter was another reason to be careful.

The meal started off well. Carolina was filled with a strange energy, but there was really nothing remarkable about our conversation as we ordered our food and waited for its arrival. She continued to speak in Japanese as she had been doing all day and Gia sat quietly to her side doing nothing but observing.

I'd ordered steak, and I had to hold myself back from devouring it in a few bites. I hadn't been able to stomach food for too many of my meals during the last two days. I'd eaten well that morning at breakfast, but Carolina's aggressive pursuit of the men, her disgusting sexual comments, and my own stress had made it difficult to eat lunch at the zoo. Carolina told stories about her travels as we ate. She appeared to be trying a different tactic, wooing Eisuke and Soryu with calm, interesting anecdotes rather than desperate attempts at attention.

After I'd finished my food, I waited for a break in the discussion and excused myself to go to the restroom.

"I'll join you," Carolina said with a smile. She stood up and tapped her interpreter to accompany her.

The little alarm that had been buzzing inside of me since Carolina had arrived grew louder. Why bring the interpreter along? I glanced over at Eisuke, his eyes were confirming my own thoughts, telling me to be on my guard.

When I came out of the stall in the restroom, Carolina stood in front of the sinks waiting for me. Her eyes were filled with so much hate and anger that they reminded me of Hiro's after I'd broken the Venus in Repose. A chill of fear went through me, but I straightened my spine. As Eisuke had reminded me, there was no chance that Carolina would win this war. Everything was just a game that she was destined to lose.

I attempted to pass by Carolina to wash my hands, but she stepped in front of me, grabbed my arm and started spitting angry words into my face in Italian. She'd gripped my bad arm right on the bruise. Tears sprung into my eyes and I reached to pry her fingers away from the tender spot as she poured venom that I couldn't even understand down on me.

My arm finally freed, Carolina finished scolding me. Her eyes were triumphant because mine were filled with tears. She probably thought that she'd scared the shit out of me, when she'd just hurt my poor arm. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Gia, giving her a nod to start interpreting her rant into Japanese.

As Gia began translating Carolina's words into perfect, businesslike Japanese with a cute Italian accent, something within me snapped. I was not going to take any more of this spoiled bitch. I was done.

"You lying bitch," Gia said calmly. "You're not Eisuke's girlfriend. He fucking bought you in his black market auction. You are nothing but a worthless sex slave. You were a maid at the hotel. You are nothing. A nobody. You need to get out of my way immediately before I make you disappear."

I could tell that Gia was condensing Carolina's point. She'd yelled in Italian for far too long for Gia to be interpreting her word for word.

I turned to look at Carolina, keeping my voice even and cold. I tried to channel Eisuke's bored eyes and superior smirk. _She's a fly and I'm a butterfly._

"You're mistaken, Carolina," I began, feigning pity. "Of course, most people probably would be. That thing at the Auction was set up, it wasn't real. Eisuke has a little fantasy and I indulged him. Do you really think that if he had actually bought some random girl that he would have made her his girlfriend?"

I watched emotions play over Carolina's face as Gia interpreted my words for her, but in the end she settled on anger and attacked again. I waited patiently for her to finish and Gia to start speaking.

"I don't give a shit about that," the interpreter continued to calmly translate Carolina's fury. "You're nothing but a common whore. A maid at the hotel. A man may dip his dick in a slut from the village, but he'll marry the woman from the villa. It's only a matter of time before he realizes what a worthless piece of trash you are and comes running to me."

It was time to pull the pin from my grenade. Facing Carolina, I let anger and condescension flood my voice. "It's over, Carolina. You're chasing after a man that you will never catch and that you wouldn't be able to handle even if you got your hands on him."

I turned my head and used my finger to trace over the thin line of purple bruising that was visible along the edge of my hair at my temple. "Do you see this?" I snapped. "Is this the sort of relationship that you're looking for? Would _you_ agree to stand up on that stage and let everyone think you were being sold to Eisuke? Is that how much you love him?"

I allowed my shawl to fall and expose the ugly bruise on my arm. "You're not the woman for him, Carolina. You're too strong and used to having things your way and getting what you want, you're Daddy's Little Girl. Eisuke has to be in control of absolutely everything about his women, and he _never_ takes no for an answer." I hiked up my dress and showed her the large bruise at the top of my thigh. "Even if you think you might want to give this a try, you wouldn't be able to hide the bruises for long. He isn't always careful about where he puts them. Your father would just end up having him killed, or trying to, and Eisuke would kill your father and probably you, too. Is that really the romance you've been dreaming of?"

Carolina and the interpreter were staring at me in horror. Gia had been quietly talking to her at the same time that I was speaking. Carolina's face had drained of color. It was time to put the nail in the coffin.

"And this is all from happy fun times with Eisuke. I _don't_ tell him no and I _don't_ piss him off. Why do you think he loves me so much? It's because I'm so fucking well-behaved. I learned to be real quick. He dislocated my arm _while_ he was fucking me from behind. I was freaking out, screaming in pain and my arm was just hanging there like it was dead and he wouldn't stop until _he_ was finished with me," I said, doing my best to put the pain from Hiro assaulting me into my eyes.

Carolina began arguing and her interpreter quietly said, "No. He might treat a lowly bitch like that, but he would never treat me like that."

"Get over yourself, Carolina," I replied. "He dated a fucking Japanese princess and broke her arm in two places and gave her a concussion. He doesn't give a shit about your status. All that he cares about is getting exactly what he wants at all times. He can tell how much trouble you'd be. That's why he isn't interested.

"And if I were you, I'd stay away from Soryu, too. Soryu joins us in bed sometimes, so Eisuke is hoping that you and Soryu will start dating and you'll join us in a foursome. That way he could fuck you without worrying about dating you. But I'd be careful of Soryu. That man gets a little too sick with his rape fantasy thing. It's beyond disturbing."

With a take-it-or-leave-it shrug I turned to the sink and started washing my hands. After a moment, Carolina and the interpreter quietly left the restroom. I couldn't help giggling to myself a little after they were gone. I felt pretty proud of myself for my creativity and quick thinking. I was also pretty sure that Carolina would never bother Eisuke or Soryu again.

When I returned to the table, Carolina and the interpreter were nowhere to be seen. As I sat in my seat, Eisuke leaned over to whisper in my ear. "What did you do?"

Filled with triumph, I pressed my lips close to his ear and whispered in the sexiest voice that I could muster. "You can't figure it out with your fucking telepathy?"

I sat back in my chair and took a bite of my dessert. With a smile, I looked over at Soryu.

"Don't worry, Soryu. I took care of you, too. Carolina shouldn't be bothering either of you anymore."

He regarded me levelly for a moment. "I appreciate that, Olivia. Although, I'm concerned about whatever it is you've done."

"I don't think we should talk about it here," I said. "And I'm still hungry. Let me eat this and then we can go upstairs and I'll tell you everything."

I was riding high on my victory, replaying my argument with Carolina in my head and giggling to myself as I finished my dessert and rode the elevator to the penthouse.

As the door closed behind us, I turned to Eisuke, suddenly freezing as I noticed that his eyes were filled with a cold fury.

"What?" I backed up a step in fear and shock. "Did Carolina do something?"

"You need to tell us what you did," Soryu said.

Dread filled me and I began to shake. "I… I'm sorry. She attacked me in the restroom and I just wanted to finish it for good. I didn't know what else to do." I looked from Soryu to Eisuke and back again. They simply stared at me. I directed my words to Soryu since he wasn't as frightening as Eisuke.

Taking in a deep trembling breath, I tried to calm myself down and began to explain. "She found out that Eisuke bought me in the auction. She was yelling at me. I told her that the auction was a set up to let Eisuke act out a fantasy. I showed her my bruises and basically told her that Eisuke beats me for fun. I-" Tears began to fall from my eyes as I tried to explain myself to the two men who stood in front of me like statues. "I told her that Eisuke has you join us in the bedroom and you like to enact rape fantasies. So, I told her that she should stay away from you, too, Soryu."

The two men exchanged a glance and Soryu said, "I need details, Olivia. All of them."

"Okay," I said, rubbing my hands over my face, trying to remember everything. "I told her that Eisuke has to be in complete control of his women. That he doesn't take no for an answer. I told her that I never say no to him and that is why he loves me. I said that the bruises I have now are from him just having fun, not from punishing me. I told her that he dislocated my arm while we were having sex and he...uh...kept going anyway. I said that he dated a Japanese princess and broke her arm in two places and gave her a concussion. I told her Eisuke set her up with you in hopes that you guys would join us in a foursome, and he'd be able to have sex with her without dating her."

Soryu continued to stare at me and I searched my memory for more details. "I said that if she dated Eisuke she wouldn't always be able to hide the bruises and her father would find out and try to kill him. If Bucci didn't succeed in killing him, then Eisuke would probably kill Bucci and Carolina both."

By this time I was hanging my head in shame. I could feel their eyes staring at me. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think about how this would affect your reputations. I went a little crazy."

"We won't be going to the party. Soryu, you'll go in my place. Send her team home and take care of the details," Eisuke said after a tense silence. "Olivia, come."

I followed him to the upstairs living room, quietly taking deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I'd been so stupid. Imagining that I had some sort of connection with these men, that we were on the same team, working towards the same goal. In my shortsightedness, I'd forgotten that there were larger goals, bigger players. There was more to this than Carolina Bucci. She was a fly, wiggling and causing an annoying disturbance in a complex web of Eisuke's making.

I knew that Eisuke was the CEO for The Ichiyomiya Group, that he owned all of the Tres Spades hotels, I'd seen evidence that he had deals in the works with many different men, and I knew that he was involved in underground crime. There was really no telling what damage I had done. There was also no telling what he would do to punish me.

Once we were in the living room, Eisuke sat down on a couch. I remained standing before him like a guilty child.

When he spoke, his voice was more casual, warm and reasonable that he had ever been before when speaking to me. The divergence from normal sent alarm bells ringing in my mind and fear made my entire body tense.

"Let's get a few things straight," he said with a smile instead of a smirk. His right hand moved as he spoke, gesturing to emphasize his points in a way that I had never seen before. "First of all, you are really going to have to apologize again to Soryu for telling Carolina that he has rape fantasies. Not harming women is something that is very important to him. In that regard it was an especially unfortunate story to tell."

Eisuke was smiling at me like I was a child who had made a cute mistake. It was infinitely frightening.

"Yes, I will be sure to apologize again," I said, my voice trembling. "I am so very sorry."

"The lies you have told, they are...amusing. In and of themselves, there is not much wrong with them. They were the perfect way to scare off Carolina. You've created a convoluted mess for Soryu to clean up, but he enjoys a good challenge. Carolina will certainly have someone searching for evidence of your lies. It will be interesting to see how he creates a relationship between myself and Princess Mako that included abuse," he said and his voice sounded close to laughter.

"Yes, you could be commended for getting the job done. I'm sure that it wasn't easy to stand up to Carolina. I would imagine that if she were attacking you...just verbally, am I right?" He looked up at me with raised eyebrows and gestured for me to respond. I nodded quickly. "If she were yelling at you, especially in Italian, I am sure that it would have been frightening. And yet, you were able to tell a few lies that shut her down and resolved our problem entirely. It's quite the accomplishment."

"However," he said, and his voice returned to normal. His back straightened. His face became cold. His hand no longer gestured. His mouth smirked. His eyes stared forcefully into mine. "You acted without instructions. You _improvised_ ," he emphasized the word in a way that sent chills down my spine, "in a situation which you could not hope to comprehend. Your actions could have been devastating to my plans. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, I-," I swallowed convulsively. I'd begun trembling under his hard gaze. "I know that I can't possibly understand the complexity of the things that you are working on. And I know that I put those things in danger. I am so sorry, Eisuke."

"You are a tool, Olivia. You are only to follow instructions. You are not to make decisions or create your own path. If you do not stay on the path that has been decided for you, you put my concerns at risk. I cannot tolerate that, Olivia. If you endanger my concerns, the danger to you will be infinitely greater."

He stood up from the couch and I automatically began to take steps backwards, trying to put some distance between us. His eyes flashed and I froze immediately, a small cry of fear falling from my lips.

"Show me your breasts," he directed with a smirk.

My eyes widened in surprise, and I stared at him, unable to move or process what he had said. His eyes flashed and my hands began to move, my brain catching up a few seconds later. Trembling, I allowed the shawl that I had been clutching to me to fall to the floor. I reached up and pulled the off the shoulder neckline down, the white fabric of the bodice pooling at my waist. I stared forward, eyes unfocused, my mind was blank, purposefully not thinking about what was happening. I reached up and peeled the sticky bra cups from my breasts, dropping them with shaking fingers.

For some measure of time, neither of us moved – for seconds or minutes, I do not know – and then Eisuke took off his suit jacket and tossed it behind him onto the couch. He stepped forward to stand directly in front of me and chills of fear and awareness trembled over my skin. His hand came up, his knuckles coming to rest just above my bellybutton and then tracing a slow path up until his hand was resting between my breasts.

"You're not who I'm looking for," he breathed. "But I already knew that."

While my mind turned his words over, trying to make sense of them, my body responded to him, my nipples hardening. I kept my eyes turned to look over his shoulder, I was afraid to see what was in his eyes, afraid of how my body would respond if I looked at his face. He moved, drawing the back of his hand along the underside of my breast and then tracing over the outer edge. His thumb caressed gently over my nipple, and it tightened even more as he stroked it.

" _This can't be_ ," I thought. " _This is not okay_." But my body was already arching into his touch, crying out for more. I looked at him, but his eyes were hooded, staring down at his thumb playing with my nipple. His other hand joined the onslaught, falling upon my right breast and mirroring the actions of his right hand.

Pluck. Pluck. Twirl. Pinch.

"No. Oh, no," I breathed, but my words were for myself, not for him. I raised my hands and set them on his forearms, using the leverage to push myself into his hands. Desire flooded through me. If I had been thinking, I may have decided that I had been through too much, that everything was just too hard and I wanted to forget and give myself over to the feelings that his simple touch had the power to create in me. But I wasn't thinking anymore. Each soft caress of his fingers shut off another part of my brain, until there was nothing left of me except my body and an aching need for more.

" _Eisuke_ ," I pleaded, and his name was like a catalyst. He stepped closer, drawing my body against his, cupping the sides of my head carefully, his thumbs resting in front of my ears and his mouth taking mine in a kiss that was instantly deep and overwhelming.

I'd marveled before at how well he kissed, but that, apparently, had been nothing but playacting. His mouth was hotter, more intimate and more commanding than any kiss I had ever experienced. His kisses were relentless, fervently searching, and I did my best to meet the demands of his tongue, pleasure shivering through me with each stroke.

When his lips finally parted from mine, I buried my face in his chest, gasping and moaning with desire. His hands smoothed down my back and then he was turning me and lowering me gently down onto the couch. He followed closely, kneeling on a knee placed between my legs. His mouth finding mine again quickly, although this time his kisses were shallow. I threaded my fingers into his hair, eagerly meeting each movement of his lips and tongue.

He found my nipple and began rolling it between his fingers and thumb. His mouth moved to my ear, his breathing ragged. "You belong to me," he commanded. "Say it."

"I belong to you," I cried out, the words sounding right and true when all that I wanted was for him to take me completely.

His mouth moved from my ear, trailing hotly, licking and sucking down my neck and over my chest to my breast. By this time I was moaning endlessly, clutching at his shoulders, my pussy hot and throbbing, my body begging for more of him. His tongue traced over the curves of my breast before pulling my nipple into his mouth and worrying it with his teeth.

Suddenly he stood up. My first thought was that he was going to take is clothes off, but when I looked up and met his gaze I found that he was staring down at me with an unreadable expression in his eyes. After a moment he turned on his heel and walked away.

I turned and rose up on one arm, watching him cross the living room and disappear down the stairs, confused and abandoned.

Eisuke's Mental Notes 7/15/18:

 _...Carolina Bucci situation likely solved. Olivia acted autonomously, telling lies. Soryu generating evidence. Olivia must be brought under control. To be retained, she must behave, and there is no possibility of allowing her freedom at this time. Checked her breasts, she is not Keiko, as expected. I went further than that, but she is mine and I will do with her as I please. In this situation, there is no reason to restrain myself..._


	4. Comfort

I pulled the bodice of my dress up and held it in front of my breasts. My body was still hot, sweaty, wet and aching with desire, but the chill air of the room was rapidly cooling my skin, making me shiver. I wrenched my eyes from the stairs. Eisuke would not be coming back immediately. I did not know whether I wanted him to come back, to say that he had made a mistake or had just gone to grab a condom, or if I wanted him to stay away so that I would never have to see him again. In truth, I wanted both things, and neither of them would happen. He would be back later, with his icy eyes and cold smirk. He would look at me like I was an animal in an experiment, searching my eyes to read all of my secrets.

The thought was sickening, and it sent me to my feet. I hurried through the bedroom and closed myself into the bathroom. The room was starting to feel like my sanctuary, and for some reason this made me despise it. I did not want my refuge to be a bathroom, a hard room surrounded by cold tile and icy mirrors. I wanted warmth and comfort. I wanted to feel safe.

I stepped under the spray of the shower, the perfect place to cry, but tears would not come. I was a twist of frozen thoughts and feelings. Nothing would flow, I could not feel or process anything that had happened. I washed and dried myself and blew my hair dry, my movements like an automaton.

Afterwards, I stood motionless on the cold floor, staring at the bathroom door. I'd hurried into the room without grabbing my pajamas. My new robe was down in my salon. I didn't want to put the white dress back on in order to go back into the bedroom. I never wanted to touch that dress again.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened the door and peeked out. The bedroom was empty. A familiar stack of clothes sat a few yards away on top of a dresser. I darted out, grabbed the bundle and scurried back into the bathroom, closing the door with a sigh of relief. This time the pajamas were yellow with little white bunnies on them. I drew on the clothes quickly. They were warm and soft, providing a hint of the comfort that I needed.

I went back out to the bedroom and set my futon up at the end of Eisuke's bed, but when I was finished I just stared down at the soft folds of plush bedding. I could not get into bed now. The frozen feelings inside of me were beginning to grow icy shards that stabbed into me, filling me with pain. I needed to escape the torment that threatened to burst inside of me.

I hurried out of the bedroom and downstairs, noting that Eisuke was not in the upper living room as I crossed to the stairs. Soryu was in the first floor living room, just as he always was. Just as I'd needed him to be. He sat on a couch, papers spread before him on a coffee table, focused on something that he was writing.

He didn't look up as I approached, his hand never pausing as he continued to write, but he said, "Just a moment, Olivia," when I came to a stop nearby.

When he looked up, his gray eyes meeting mine and one of his eyebrows raised in inquiry, I felt the frozen glaciers inside of me begin to move, scraping painfully against each other. "Soyru, I feel like I'm going to fall apart," I said, my voice threatening to break. "I need someone to talk to."

His eyes searched mine for a moment before his hands moved to gather up the papers on the table and place them quickly into a folder. He stood up and said, "Let's go back to your room. We're too likely to be interrupted in here."

I suddenly remembered Mamoru's habit of lounging quietly over by a window. My eyes shot over to see if he was there, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that he wasn't. I didn't want any additional people to be witness to my weakness.

I followed Soryu down the hallway to my salon and sat down on one end of the couch, watching him grab a couple of bottles of water out of the mini fridge and hand one over before taking a seat on the end opposite me. He shifted around for a bit, obviously trying to find a more casual posture than he was used to sitting in. It was so awkward and cute that if I hadn't been feeling so devastated, I would have been laughing.

He finally settled on sitting at an angle in the corner of the couch, facing me with his arm stretched along the back. I pulled my feet up onto the couch and sat facing him, hugging my knees against my chest.

"Please feel free to say whatever you need to say," he encouraged.

I rubbed my hands over my face. This wasn't easy. I needed a girlfriend, someone who was used to talking about tragedies and drama and feelings, not a man in a business suit who seemed to feel most comfortable communicating with looks and nods.

"I… There's so much," I started, my voice slightly apologetic. "Eisuke stole everything when he bought me from the auction. My entire life. My job, my home, my friends. I lost everything and it's so painful, especially… Especially since the same thing happened when my mom died. I know that I can get through it, I've done it before. So, I'm trying my best to stay strong, but it is just so hard."

"The same thing happened when your mother died?" Soryu asked, his voice soft.

"Yeah." Tears had begun slipping from my eyes. "When she died, I didn't have enough money to manage anymore. I had to drop out of university and I lost our apartment. I was even homeless for awhile. I keep trying not to think about it, but going through this just really brings back how awful it was to lose my mom."

Soryu passed me a box of tissues that had been sitting near him and nodded for me to continue.

"I can't help but going over things again and again. What if Ota hadn't had sex with that girl at the party? What if Baba hadn't been on the same floor as me? What if the person in the room that I delivered to had spent ten seconds saying thank you to me? What if none of this had happened and Eisuke hadn't bought me and I was safe and sound and happy in my dorm room right now?"

"You know that all of the 'what ifs' are a waste of time, Olivia," Soryu gently pointed out. "There is also something that I want you to understand. It isn't really my habit to talk about Eisuke's intentions, but I'm going to make an exception this time. He bought you to save you, Olivia. We don't sell people in the Auction. The moment he heard that a woman had been put on the block, he went directly to purchase you. You must realize that things could have turned out much worse than this."

"I do. I do..." I murmured as what he had said sank in. _He saved me. He bought me to save me._ My eyes flicked around the salon. A room that had been remodeled just to provide a place for people to comb my hair and do my makeup. A place to store a profusion of expensive clothes. I ran my fingers over the yellow pajamas. _Every night there's a new set of pajamas waiting, and when he walked in on me almost naked, a robe appeared._

"You guys are taking really good care of me and being very generous. And I know that I'm safe, but… Eisuke scares me. I can't figure him out. I just don't understand him. It leaves me feeling nervous and afraid. And tonight..." I couldn't finish. If he'd been a woman, I could have talked about it, but I couldn't tell Soryu what Eisuke had done. What _we_ had done.

"Eisuke is different from most people. Perhaps all people. He sees and understands things on a deeper level than anyone else. Add that to how much wealth and power he has, and yeah, he can be scary. He's used to doing things as he pleases and he won't allow anyone to obstruct his goals," Soryu explained. "The best advice that I can give you is not to be the one standing in his way. Do as he tells you to do, Olivia, and you should be fine."

His words reminded me of something that I had said to Carolina. ' _Eisuke has to be in control of absolutely everything...and he never_ _takes_ _no for an answer._ ' Even though it was supposed to be a lie, it rang very close to the truth. Eisuke carried himself like a god. Like someone who expected his every command to be followed to the letter.

I closed my eyes for a moment, adding up all the factors. "I'm here and I'm safe. I could be somewhere much worse. I could be dead," I said slowly to Soryu. "Eisuke isn't going to let me go any time soon. He wouldn't have had this room remodeled if he was planning on setting me free. I just need to do what he tells me to do. I should be able to get used to that. And if that means having sex with him, then… There really isn't anything that I can do to stop that."

I stared down at my knee where the tip of my finger was tracing over a little white bunny again and again. I could feel Soryu's eyes on my face, trying to read my expression, but I couldn't look up and meet his gaze.

"I've never known him to hurt a woman like that," Soryu said quietly. "I don't think he would force himself on you."

I remembered what Eisuke had told me about Soryu's personal values. "I'm really sorry, Soryu, about telling Carolina that you have a rape fetish. I didn't think. I just wanted to help you." I shook my head in defeated frustration. "And, I don't want you to think that Eisuke is forcing me to do anything. It's just complicated."

"I can understand that," he replied with a smile that was kind and encouraging. "There are very few things about Eisuke that are simple."

I gave a dark little laugh. "Yeah, I barely know him or anything about him, and I can tell that you are right."

He stood up and looked down at me. "If you're feeling a little better, I think you need a hug. And maybe a late night snack."

"Both of those things sound great," I said, standing up to receive the hug that he was offering. He was stiff and the hug was pretty awkward, but it was nice anyway. I needed comfort and I needed a friend and it seemed like Soryu was ready to take on that position. "Thank you so much for talking to me."

"You're welcome," he replied with a reassuring smile. "I'll always be here if you need someone to talk to."

I followed him out to the living room where Baba and Mamoru were just coming through the front door. Soryu stepped out of the room and the rest of us moved over to the seating area.

"Ah, Kitten, what an adorable sight," Baba said with a smile. "What are those, bunnies?"

"Yeah," I said with a little laugh. "Bunnies."

"I always knew that Eisuke must be hiding some weird fetishes," he joked and dropped down onto a couch. "I prefer something in silk or lace myself. What about you, Mamoru?"

"I usually sleep in my boxers," Mamoru replied, popping a cigarette into his mouth and lighting it. "Sometimes I sleep in the buff."

I laughed as a curled up into a chair. This was exactly what I needed, normal, pointless conversation.

Baba pulled a face. "I should have known that you wouldn't have an opinion on what a woman wears to bed, Mamo. Have you ever even been in a bedroom with a woman?"

"All the time back when I worked in homicide," Mamoru said with a yawn. "I'd say the bedroom is the number one place that women are killed. That and kitchens."

"What in the hell are you guys talking about?" Soryu asked angrily, coming back into the room. "Olivia doesn't need to hear about women being murdered."

"Pajamas," I answered, not bothering to hold back my laughter. "We're talking about pajamas."

While Soryu shot a glare at Mamoru, Baba looked over at me and changed the topic. "A little birdie told me that Carolina Bucci's private jet is fueling up and will be departing Japan in three hours."

"Oh? She's leaving so quickly?" I asked excitedly. "What a relief!"

"Yeah, I heard that she's going to Austria. There's a new boy band there that she's interested in," Baba explained.

"A boy band? Somehow that is even more disturbing than Mamoru's homicide facts," I said with a moan. "Those poor boys. They'll have agents and handlers to protect them, right?"

"Ah, my dear innocent wearer of bunny pajamas, the agents and handlers will feed those boys right to Carolina just to stay on Bucci's good side," Baba said regretfully, taking out his phone and swiping his thumbs over it. "Here, this is their first video."

The doorbell rang as Baba held up his phone so that I could see the video. I watched in horror as five young men danced in sync on a stage. The video began showing closeup shots of the boys and my heart sank.

"They're just babies!" I cried, unconsciously holding my arm where Carolina had grabbed me. "Is she really going to be allowed to...to just do whatever she wants with them?"

Soryu walked over to us carrying a pizza. His eyes were dark as he set the box on the table.

"I thought I made it clear that you guys aren't supposed to be upsetting Olivia," he said.

"Hey, sorry," Baba said with a little chuckle, pocketing his cellphone. "It's just the way of the world, eat or be eaten."

"Ah, this is perfect, Soryu," I said with a smile, deliberately trying to move on from the conversation. "Thank you. There's nothing like late night pizza."

"Well, here's to Ota," Baba said, raising a slice into the air as if he were making a toast. "I saw the bastard leaving the party with _two_ women tonight."

"Jeez," I said. "Do things like that really happen? Was one of them Yumi?"

"Yes, my bunny-covered Kitten, things like that really do happen. To fucking Ota, never to me" Baba complained. "And one of them was not Yumi, I think she passed out hours ago. This is why men like me have trouble finding a woman and men like Mamo never even have a chance. The Ota's of the world take more than their fair share."

I laughed and shook my head. "Rich people be crazy."

"Isn't that right," Mamoru said. "I live my life surrounded by rich people and criminals. It's no wonder I'm so disillusioned."

Soryu scoffed. "Is disillusioned a fancy new word for lazy?"

"You're handsome enough, Mamoru," I said, trying to be helpful. "I can't talk to my friends in the hotel anymore, I guess. So, I can't set you up. But maybe I could suggest someone that you might want to casually run into and strike up a conversation."

"Ah, that sounds perfect," Baba said. "I love a woman in a uniform. I'll take one of those girls that wear the pink dresses with the little white apron – are they waitresses at the ice cream parlor? And one of those girls from the casino – the vests really define their assets."

"I wasn't talking to you, Baba," I said. "You stay away from those girls."

Baba sighed. "It's against Eisuke's rules anyway. No fraternizing with Tres Spades employees. But I can still dream."

"Sorry about that, Mamoru. I guess I can't help you," I said.

"That's alright, Olivia," he replied. "I appreciate the fact that you offered, but women really are too much effort. I'm happy the way that I am."

"Ah, this is pathetic!" Baba stood up and threw a half-eaten slice of pizza back into the box. "I'm going up to the sky lounge. There are still women out there and I'm not going to give up. Soryu, you joining me?"

"Not tonight," Soryu answered. "Tomorrow morning is the IVC golf scramble. I'll be getting up early for that, so I'm going to bed soon."

"Fine then. You snooze, you lose. More girlies for me," Baba declared before turning to Mamoru. "Mamo?"

"Yeah, I could use one more drink before I head home. Thanks for the pizza, Soryu and goodnight, Olivia," Mamoru said and followed Baba out of the penthouse.

"What's a golf scramble?" I asked Soryu, finishing my last bite of pizza.

"A way to play golf, it involves teams," Soryu explained. "You aren't expected to go to that. You can sleep in tomorrow. I scheduled your team to come in at eleven to get you ready for lunch."

"Ah, sleeping in does sound great." I said goodnight to Soryu and headed upstairs, suddenly in a hurry to go to bed. If Soryu had to be up early for the golf scramble, then Eisuke would certainly be doing the same thing. That meant Eisuke would probably want to go to bed soon. I wanted to be asleep by the time he came back. I did not want to have to face him until it was absolutely necessary.

I came awake abruptly, my heart nearly stopping. Someone was picking me up. I blinked into the dim light of the bedroom, not knowing what to do. _Should I scream?_ I was afraid to turn my head and look at whoever held me. It had to be Eisuke. Who else could it have been? My suspicions were confirmed when he stepped over and lay me down on his bed. I closed my eyes, not wanting him to know that I was awake. At that point, maybe my heart really did stop for a moment.

 _What's he doing? Is he going to have sex with me now? Why wouldn't he have just woken me up?_ Thoughts raced through my mind as he drew the covers up over me and then turned away. I opened my eyes a little and peaked at him. I could see his back as he walked to the end of the bed. His back _and_ his ass. _He was naked!_ At this point my heart woke back up and nearly jumped out of my chest. _What in the world is going on?_

I watched as he bent and picked up my futon and bedding, crossed the room and tossed them out the bedroom door. Quickly closing my eyes before he turned back to the bed, I listened as his footsteps approached and then the other side of the bed sank as he lowered himself down onto it. _Dear God. Dear God. Dear God. What is happening?_

Nothing.

I lay paralyzed for what seemed like an eternity, but nothing happened. Finally, I gathered the courage to open my eyes and look over at him. I'd been worried that he would be lying there, staring at me, waiting for me to open my eyes. Instead, his back was towards me. I stared at his silhouette for awhile, wondering what was going on.

Finally, I grew tired. Eisuke wasn't trying to have sex with me. He wasn't coming near me. He wasn't touching me at all. He'd thrown the futon out. He must just want me on the bed.

It was weird, but I could deal with it. I went to sleep.

The next morning I slept late and then wandered downstairs. The penthouse felt strange and empty. Eisuke wasn't in the upper living room typing away at his laptop and Soryu wasn't downstairs. Hungry for breakfast, I peeked into the dining room, but the table was empty.

I realized then that the penthouse was huge and I'd only been in a handful of its rooms. Items appeared by magic and messes were cleaned up by fairies. I silently chided myself. In the blink of an eye, I'd become one of those rich people who didn't say thank you and took everything for granted. There were employees in this penthouse taking care of our needs. Just like in the hotel, they were hidden away from the public eye, quietly going about their lives without disturbing us. I was ashamed of the fact that I hadn't thought of them until now.

Exploring down the hallway near the dining room, I quickly found the kitchen. There were two women inside, and they both looked at me with smiling faces when I stepped into the room.

"Good morning, Miss," the older one said. "Are you ready for your breakfast?"

I could see the curiosity and excitement in their eyes. Was I like a fairy tale to them? A lucky servant who had crossed over into the land of the privileged? Or did they know that something strange was going on? Had they overheard things being said that would let them know that I wasn't there of my own free will? Did they know that my relationship with Eisuke was fake?

"Yes," I replied. "And thank you very much for making my breakfast for the last two mornings. I'm Olivia Graham."

"Olivia?" the woman said, testing out the foreign name. "It is nice to meet you. I am Chikako, the chef, and this is Nao, my assistant. What would you like to eat? If you want something quickly, I can make an egg roll. Or maybe some rice, egg and natto? Or some threadfish?"

"I think the egg roll sounds great," I said. "I guess it won't be too long until I have to go to lunch."

"Okay, I'll have that right out to you," Chikako said with a nod and I was...dismissed.

I turned and walked back to the dining room, feeling uncomfortable. I wasn't one of them anymore. I couldn't talk to them and tell them what was going on in my life, and they didn't even want that. They wanted me to stay on my side of the invisible wall. I wondered what would happen if I were able to talk to Sakiko and my other friends in the hotel again. Would there be a huge chasm between us?

After eating my breakfast, I looked around the penthouse a bit. There were more hallways with closed doors, but I didn't feel right opening them to look inside. I'd have to ask Soryu for a tour another time.

Looking out the french doors, I saw a swimming pool glimmering in the sun on the roof of the hotel. It looked irresistible. With a smile, I hurried to my salon and looked through the clothes until I found a bathing suit and changed into it.

Letting myself outside onto the roof, I looked around at the outdoor area. A tall privacy fence enclosed the area that surrounded the pool. There were seating arrangements, tables, lounge chairs and a large barbecue grill, all of it complimented by pretty decorations and potted palms. It looked perfect for a party.

I walked slowly down the stairs into the pool, allowing my skin to adjust to the cool water. I wasn't much of a swimmer, but I had fun splashing around in the pool for the next forty-five minutes, thoroughly enjoying the cool water and the hot sun.

Afterwards, I took a quick shower and waited for Mika, Rin and Diachi to arrive. It was nice to be surrounded by their cheerful chattering. I couldn't tell them too much about my life, or confide my problems to them, but being able to talk about everyday things was a calming distraction.

To my surprise, Daichi informed me that the plan for the afternoon was another trip to the zoo. The venue had been bought out for an IVC event. Today, only Tres Spades VIPs would be allowed in.

"I went on a shopping trip yesterday afternoon and bought every dress that I could find with half sleeves," Daichi said with a laugh. "It looks like it will take your arm awhile to heal and we need to be prepared!"

I laughed along with him and examined the two dresses that he held up for me to choose from.

"I'll go with the green one," I said. "I really like the muted pattern."

While Mika was working on my hair, Daichi wandered back over to me, his cellphone in his hand.

"Olivia, if you had to choose between these four colors, which would you choose: white, orange, black or gray?" he asked, looking down at me curiously.

"What is it for?" I asked. "A dress?"

"Oh, not for anything in particular," Daichi explained vaguely. "I'm just trying to get a general sense of your taste in colors."

"Oh, well..." I thought about the choices. After the events of the night before, I decided to stay away from the color white. Black, gray or orange? I decided to go with the happier color. "I guess I'd choose orange."

"Awesome," Daichi responded distractedly and wandered away tapping on his phone.

I watched him through the mirror as he settled onto the couch. He definitely seemed to be up to something. I wondered what was on the agenda for that evening. I really should ask Soryu to start giving me the itinerary ahead of time. It was pathetic that my team knew where I was going, but I didn't.

After I showed my team out of the penthouse, I slowly walked back up to the bathroom that was attached to the master bedroom. There had been an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach all morning, and it had only been growing worse as time wore on.

Once in the bathroom, I stood staring down at the small circle of gold lying on the counter. I'd been trying to avoid my feelings all morning, but the fact was that I didn't feel right because the ring that Eisuke had bought me the previous day was not on my finger. Wherever I'd gone in the apartment, whatever I'd done, a part of my mind had been very aware of the ring resting, alone, in the cold bathroom.

The day before I'd been struggling with my desire for Eisuke and my need to maintain my sense of self. Today, I just wanted to put on the ring. I _wanted_ to belong to him. Was this all that it took, then? Some kisses and a few minutes at second base? Had I always been this easy? He treated me like a commodity. He'd gotten up the night before and walked away from me as if I were nothing, as if I didn't have feelings, as if I didn't matter.

I shouldn't want him, I should want to run from him. I shouldn't be replaying his words, ' _You belong to me,'_ over and over again like a broken record. The words should not be resonating through me, echoing deeply, illuminated the sad truth that at my core I already felt like I belonged to him. A part of me might hate the feeling and hate myself for feeling that way, but there was no denying it.

I reached out and picked up the ring. Right or wrong, I would feel better if I had it on. It connected me to him. Maybe it represented the fact that I felt like I belonged to him, but no one else knew that. To everyone else it was just a ring. Only I would know what it meant.

And Eisuke. But he already knew everything anyway. He could see everything. He'd told me that I belong to him and I'd repeated the words like a vow. There was no hiding it from him. He knew it and I knew it.

" _It's my ring, and I want to wear it_ ," I said quietly to myself and slipped the ring on my finger, feeling instantly more at peace.

The first thing I saw when I stepped out of the bedroom was Eisuke walking up the stairs. He looked like an advertisement for golf apparel in dark pants and a subtly patterned polo shirt, fresh, crisp, cool and perfect. He walked past me and went into the bedroom with his usual smirk, not even acknowledging me. But he saw the ring on my finger, I watched his eyes fall on it, take it in for a moment and then flick away.

He'd been looking for it. He'd wanted me to wear it. The thought made me far to happy.

I grabbed a magazine out of my salon and sat reading it in the first floor living room, waiting for Eisuke and Soryu. After awhile, I looked up and around the room. My eyes caught on Mamoru, lounging in the chair over by the window. He was definitely asleep. I wondered how long he'd been there. Certainly I would have noticed him if he had been sitting in the chair earlier in the morning when I was exploring the penthouse. I decided that he must have come in recently, probably to take a nap during his lunch break.

Hearing a sound, I looked to the other side of the room to see Frappuccino Zoolander stalking down the stairs, wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt. The sort of t-shirt that probably cost hundreds of dollars and fit FrapZ perfectly.

" _Stop staring_ ," I ordered myself silently and forced my eyes to return to the magazine. While Eisuke dropped into a chair and pulled out his phone, I tried to fight off memories of his perfect mouth and hands on my body.

Feeling my cheeks flushing, I raised the magazine higher to create a shield. He would know exactly what I was thinking if he looked over at me. The thought only made me blush harder, and I realized that I was in a vicious circle of embarrassment.

"Good afternoon, Olivia," Soryu's voice rang out in the silent room. "How are you doing today?"

I put the magazine down and greeted Soryu, feeling as if he were rescuing me. "I'm great, Soryu. I really enjoyed sleeping in. Did your team win your golf scramble?" I asked, smiling and standing up to join him.

"Not this time," he said with a shake of his head. "One of the other teams had a pro golfer and we had Baba."

"Poor Baba. He doesn't seem to be having much luck lately."

"Yeah. We should have taken that into consideration and cut him from the team," Soryu said with exaggerated seriousness.

As I laughed at his joke, I felt a hand come to rest on my elbow.

"Let's go," Eisuke said, and turned me to face the front door.

He kept his hold on me even after we entered the elevator, where he said, "Your act as my girlfriend will continue. Claudio Bucci will remain in the hotel through the end of the IVC and, beyond that, I have another assignment for you. As of now, the role will be indefinite."

"Yes, Eisuke," I replied quietly, sneaking a peek at his profile. There was no sense questioning him. He'd tell me what my next job was whenever he was ready.

We had lunch at the Breakstone. Eisuke and Soryu talked about the stock exchange for a long time and I concentrated on my food. Near the end of the meal, Eisuke received some sort of message on his phone and began concentrating on that. Soryu turned his attention to me.

"Are you looking forward to the zoo this time, Olivia?" He asked with a smile. "Now that you can enjoy it without Carolina getting in the way?"

I laughed as I answered him. "Yes! This time I'll be able to focus on the animals. I can't wait. But you must feel the same way. It will be a whole new experience for both of us."

"Yeah, just like a real day of leisure. Although, I think we should avoid the lions and tigers. They'll just bring up traumatic memories for me."

"Now that you mention it, I think we should avoid the otters, too. That woman has ruined one of my favorite animals! I'll never be able to look at an otter the same way!" I joked dramatically.

"I'll buy you one of those special animal shaped popsicles to make it up to you. They looked so good, but there was no way I was going to let that woman get a popsicle in her hand," he said with a sad shake of his head.

"No, No! Don't put pictures in my head!" I held up my hands as if warding off his words. "I think we should make a pact to never speak of Carolina again. The memories are hurting my brain."

As I said this I couldn't help but reach up and rub my hand over my arm where Carolina had grabbed me. Soryu's eyes flicked down and then back up again. "She hurt you," he said. It wasn't a question.

"I… It's not like she meant to. She just grabbed my arm when she was yelling at me. She had no idea that my arm was injured," I explained, a little shaken. "I'm actually more worried about that boy band that Baba was telling me about last night. I keep thinking about them. Even Eisuke had to play tricks to stay away from Carolina. Those poor boys don't stand a chance. It's just disgusting."

Soryu glanced over at Eisuke and my eyes followed his to see Eisuke watching us with his fathomless eyes. He gave a quick upwards flick of his chin and then turned his attention back to his screen. I glanced curiously back at Soryu, wondering what Eisuke had just silently directed him to do.

"I'll see what I can do," Soryu said, his eyes meeting mine with a serious look. "Now, why don't you tell me about how you spent your morning."

"Well, I was going to explore the penthouse, but I thought I shouldn't just randomly open a bunch of doors. Maybe you can give me a tour sometime?" When he nodded, I continued, "and I found the pool, so I went for a swim."

"That sounds fun," Soryu said. "I'll have to join you some time."

"Definitely. I'm not a very good swimmer, so I need lots of practice and I wouldn't mind some pointers. I- -"

"You went into the pool alone when you don't know how to swim?"

I looked over to see Eisuke's eyes blazing.

"Well, I can swim a little and I didn't do anything dangerous..." I fidgeted in my seat as he continued to glare at me.

"You belong to me," Eisuke said levelly. "Don't endanger my goods."

While his words sank in, Soryu tried to alleviate the mood. "I'll teach you to swim, Olivia. It shouldn't take long."

"I'll take care of Olivia," Eisuke said with finality.

"I… Thank you, Eisuke," I said, feeling a little unsure because he seemed far too serious for a conversation that was about swimming.

"See that you do," Soryu said, his voice quiet and laced with steel.

I watched the two men stare at each other for several moments, and then Eisuke suddenly stood up.

"Let's go," he directed and took my hand to lead me to the limousine.

The ride was awkward, with Eisuke obviously angry, Soryu strangely amused and me squished in between them. There was plenty of room in the limo, but for some reason both of them were sitting right up against me. And Eisuke held my hand for the entire ride.

Our walk through the zoo was very different from the previous one. Both Eisuke and Soryu were often busy talking to hotel guests, just as if we are at one of the IVC parties. This gave me a lot of time to enjoy the animals, sometimes too much time. I exchanged many sympathetic glances with girlfriends, wives and children as we stood around waiting for the men in our lives to wrap up boring conversations about business.

I decided that I was going to have to start thinking ahead and preparing for times like this in the future. A cellphone would have been my best bet, but they'd never let me have one. Instead, I decided to carry a bag with a book and magazines. I'd learned to crochet when I was in high school, maybe I'd add some yarn to the bag. Anything to keep me occupied while Eisuke networked.

It was during this trip that it really hit home that I didn't have any money. I couldn't wander over and buy myself a soda or a snack, I had to wait and ask Soryu to do it when he wasn't occupied. I couldn't even put a coin in a little machine to get money to feed the animals. While my needs were being taken care of, it was still frustrating to feel the boundaries of my cage. No phone, no cash, no wandering ahead by myself to look at another animal.

Eisuke was regularly attentive. As soon as he finished a conversation, he'd look around for me and take my hand or put his arm around my waist. If we had a few minutes to enjoy looking at an animal together, his hand would rub my back or he would give me little kisses. It was nice. Enjoyable. Not stressful and intense the way that things had been when we were trying to convince Carolina to give up on him. It was much easier to rein in my own wayward feelings and remind myself that everything was fake when he his touches were brief and light.

On the way back to the hotel, Eisuke finally explained what my next assignment would be.

"Takahiro is suspicious," he said to Soryu. "You start an investigation. Olivia will work with him and report back to us."

Soryu was nodding as if this was a typical command, but I was nothing but confused.

"Wait are you talking about Kuroba Takahiro? The concierge?" I looked between the two men, bewildered.

"Yes," Eisuke said, staring at me as if I were offending him by asking questions, but I couldn't stop.

"Why is he suspicious? Is he doing something wrong like stealing from the hotel? Isn't that a matter for security or human resources?"

Soryu put his hand on my arm and gave a little tug, indicating that he wanted me to turn his way.

"Olivia, you have to remember that things are very complex. In this case, you simply do as Eisuke says. You don't ask questions." His voice was firm and his eyes were staring into mine, reminding me of the conversation we'd had the night before.

"Okay…Yes, of course," I said, trying to pull myself together. "What exactly do you need me to do?"

Eisuke looked down his nose at me as if I were an annoying bug. "I'd already planned to order a new female concierge training program implemented, but I was going to wait until November," Eisuke explained. "There aren't any female concierges at the moment, and that is unacceptable. Appropriate candidates will be paired with current concierges to learn the ropes in order to be ready to take over concierge positions when they open up. We'll have Olivia act as a test for this idea. She can begin shadowing Takahiro on Monday. Olivia, you will report everything you see, hear or notice about Takahiro."

"I can do that," I said. _Even though it sounds absolutely crazy_.

"Soryu, arrange everything and prepare Olivia," Eisuke said and then turned to glare at me with cold eyes. "Olivia, you must always remember your place. Any attempts to escape or inform anyone of your true situation will only end in severe punishment. You have a great amount of freedom now and you are about to be given more. Don't fuck it up."

"Yes, Eisuke," I breathed, my heart pounding. I'd just been internally bewailing my lack of cash and a cellphone, but what would happen if I screwed up and Eisuke decided to keep me locked in the penthouse...or worse?

I needed to focus on the positive. I was going to be able to go to work! I'd see my friends and have something like a normal life. Eisuke may have some weird suspicions about Takahiro, but I knew that the concierge was a really kind and dedicated employee. There was no bad here, I was even going to be training for an important position in the hotel. This assignment was so much better than dealing with Carolina Bucci!

"Are you sure about this," Soryu's voice was edged with anger. "You could be putting her into danger."

"It's your job to ensure that she is safe, Soryu," Eisuke replied, his voice had slipped back into it's usual bored tones. "Do your job."

Eisuke and I had dinner at the Purple Horizon with a couple from France and he spoke to them the entire time in French. I'm fairly good at speaking English, so I tried to talk to the wife, but she was definitely not interested in speaking to me. I spent a boring meal, concentrating on my food and watching the other diners in the restaurant.

Some of them were celebrities and I remembered the conversation that I'd once had with Sakiko. It seemed like a hundred years ago. By now I'd seen countless celebrities at hotel restaurants, IVC parties and even today at the zoo. They held zero interest for me. They were just the same as the rest of the rich people, boring and superior. As I watched people chatting and laughing at their tables, I reminded myself that at least a few of these people had probably been at the Auction. I never wanted to forget that they may seem beautiful, but their hearts were cold and black. They'd watched a woman be sold and hadn't done a thing to intervene.

My eyes skipped over to the pretty French woman who was laughing at something that Eisuke had said. Is that why she wouldn't talk to me? Because she knew that Eisuke had bought me at the auction? All of those girlfriends and wives at the zoo, all of us standing around waiting for the men to finish networking and no one every spoke to me. I had always said hello to them, I had always done my best to appear open to a conversation, but none of them had talked to me. Was it because they all thought I was just someone that Eisuke had purchased?

Back at the penthouse, I had my team rush through getting me ready for that night's IVC party. After hurrying them out to the elevator, I went into the living room and confronted Soryu. By that time, I'd built up quite a bit of anger.

"You worked to spread the rumor around the hotel that I'm the sort of idiot that falls down a bunch of stairs and falls in love at first sight with her boss. And I'm the sort of slut who would move in with him an hour later _and_ quit my job! You guys didn't care a bit about my reputation as long as everything worked out for Eisuke's story," I said accusingly.

Soryu stood up, his eyebrows raised, obviously surprised by how angry I was. He raised his hands, palms down in a 'calm down' motion. "Olivia-"

"But you didn't think about the other side of the story! All of the rich people know what Eisuke bought me! All of those women at the zoo and the woman tonight at dinner, no one would talk to me! They think I'm a fucking sex slave!" I yelled. "You have to fix this, Soryu, just like you fix everything else!"

"Olivia, it isn't that simple-" Soryu began, but Eisuke's cold voice cut him off.

"What's going on down here?"

I spun around to face him, too incensed to think about my actions. "All of your friends think I'm a sex slave!" I shouted at him. "You didn't notice that that woman tonight wouldn't even speak to me?!"

"I see," Eisuke replied, his voice absolutely calm. "Soryu, take care of it with the same lie that Olivia told Carolina. Let's go."

He started walking towards the front door and gave a little flick of his hand, indicating the we should follow him. I glanced up at Soryu who gave me a 'well, there you go' smile, and the two of us followed him to the elevator. I felt deflated. I'd been so angry, but Eisuke had defused me with just a few words. I'd been worked up for an argument, but it had never come. I felt cheated.

The IVC party was just as tedious as the first one that I had attended. If anything it was worse since I had just had a very boring dinner and the trip to the zoo had been on-and-off boring. Once again I followed Eisuke around the party while he talked and networked or whatever it was that he was doing. More than half of the time he wasn't even speaking in Japanese. Sometimes he would speak in English, but his words came out too fast for me to even hope to catch more than one or two per sentence.

I tried to play little games to amuse myself. Things like, ' _How many of these women look like they're going to go home with a strange man tonight_?" or " _How many celebrities are acting like spoiled brats_?" but the results of the game were always far too disillusioning to be fun.

Finally, I looked up and saw Soryu walking towards us. I stepped away from Eisuke and met Soryu a few yards away.

"Jesus, Soryu, this is killing me!" I complained. "When I was working at the hotel, everyone always talked about how Eisuke was a total player and never kept a girlfriend for more than a few weeks. Is it really true that he was the one breaking up with them? Because if they had to do shit like this I'm pretty sure they were the ones doing the breaking up. This is torture!"

Soryu had been taking a drink from a lowball glass while I was talking. He ended up laughing and spraying whatever alcohol he'd been sipping on out in a wide arc. I jumped away to avoid the worst of it and laughed. To my surprise Soryu just kept laughing. Carolina had been wrong, he wasn't a lion. He reminded me of a bear as he laughed deeply, his sparkling eyes meeting mine and sharing his humor.

Suddenly I felt a hand on the small of my back and look up to see Eisuke standing next to me.

"We're leaving," he said, giving a nod to Soryu. "You take over."

I called goodbye to Soryu over my shoulder. I didn't know why Eisuke had decided to leave early, but I certainly was not going to complain.

When we arrived at the penthouse, Eisuke said, "We're swimming."

"Oh...Okay," I replied, and followed him up the stairs to the bedroom. Swimming sounded much better to me than hanging out at the IVC party and the sooner I improved my skills, the sooner I could swim whenever I wanted.

Upstairs, I popped into the bathroom and then right back out again, turning to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Eisuke asked. He'd taken off his suit jacket already and was removing his cuff links.

"The maid already took the bathing suit that I had hanging in the bathroom," I explained. "I'm going to go down to my salon and change into a different one."

He gave me his usual curt nod of approval and I hurried from the room. It really looked like he was just going to get undressed out in the open, rather than changing in the bathroom. Which shouldn't have been too much of a surprise, he _had_ gotten into the bed naked last night, but I definitely did not feel ready to see him naked with the lights on and his eyes reading my every thought. It was going to be bad enough to see him in swimming trunks.

 _Please don't let him wear a speedo. Please don't let him wear a speedo._

Down in the salon, I took the time to recheck, but I already knew the truth. I'd worn the only one-piece bathing suit earlier that day. I was left with three bikinis. At that moment I would have traded every article of clothing in that room for one of the full body costumes from one hundred years ago, but that wasn't an option. Instead, I looked carefully at the three choices available to me.

The white one was out. It looked like it was made of a crocheted lace and only fully covered the barest amount of flesh to make it legal. Besides, it was also made of a material that didn't feel like it was meant to be in the water. It was probably for rich women to lounge around poolside, looking fabulous and sexy, without ever actually getting wet.

That left me with a red one that didn't cover much more than the basics, and a black one that was full of ties. It tied together in the front between the breasts and on the side of each hip. It had the most material and would offer the most coverage, but it left me looking like a present begging to be unwrapped.

With a sigh, I put the pink robe on over the black bathing suit and went out to the first floor living room to meet Eisuke. It didn't matter if the suit was full of ties or not. It probably didn't even matter if I wore a suit. If he wanted the suit to come off, it would come off. I wasn't permitted to tell him no, and I knew in my heart that I wouldn't have been able to manage it even if it was allowed. Whether he demanded it or I gave it willingly, it was all the same in the end. If he wanted me naked, I would be naked.

Once we were in the water, he was all business. While I tried not to stare and admire how amazing he looked in a pair of black trunks, Eisuke recited a list of appropriate pool behaviors that he must have memorized when he was a child.

"...sure to wait twenty minutes after eating before entering the water. Never swim alone. Don't engage in horseplay..."

His voice droned on. The swimming area was well lit, despite the darkness of the night, and I slowly sank down into the water until I was neck deep. I was doing my best to convince myself that my nipples were hardening because of the cool water and not because I was all too aware of Eisuke's perfect body standing nearby glistening with drops of water. I made sure the offending nibs were hidden below the waterline, out of range of his all-seeing eyes.

"Let me see your technique," he directed, and I swam around a little using the dog paddle that had always sufficed the few times that I had ever had the opportunity to go swimming.

"That's terrible," he concluded coldly. "You're lucky to be alive. Get over here."

I approached him, and he quickly ordered me into the sort of position that you see on television, with me lying across his arms, practicing strokes, while he barked commands down at me.

It just didn't work. I'm far from coordinated, so trying to move my head, arms and legs in new ways, while Eisuke's impatient voice criticized and demanded, and my own body sparked with awareness at his nearness, was simply doomed for failure. I did my best, though, kicking my feet and reaching out with my arms while awkwardly turning my face in and out of the water, silently praying for him to let me go.

And he did, just not in the way that I'd wished for. His arms suddenly disappeared and I plunged down into the water like a boulder, resurfacing moments later, choking and sputtering and as mad as hell.

"What are you doing?!" I screamed, pushing my drenched hair back and swiping water out of my eyes and off my face. "Seriously, what the fuck?!"

"There must be something wrong with your brain," Eisuke answered coolly. "Even children can learn this."

"Something wrong with _my_ brain?! There's something wrong with _your_ brain, you fucking Frappuccino Zoolander! I could have drowned! You scared the shit out of me! You don't fucking care about anyone's feelings except your own! Do you even have feelings?!" I shouted at him, completely forgetting myself. "You don't get to teach me to swim anymore! Soryu will do it! You don't get to touch me!"

He moved towards me. I was so enraged that my brain was caught in a holding pattern, waiting for his response so that I could screech at him again. He moved me back until I came up against the side of the pool, and my brain had still not caught up. My hands distractedly pushed at him, trying to get him further away so that my poor mind would have more space to think and come up with arguments.

He caught my wrists in his hands and held them. I looked up, belatedly spying the anger flashing in his eyes.

"Who can't touch you?" His voice was on fire.

Before I could pull my thoughts together to answer, his mouth was on mine, his lips forcing mine open and his tongue entering in an act of ownership, hot and demanding. As his tongue began claiming every centimeter of my mouth, his hands loosened on my wrists, his fingers trailing lightly over my forearms, sending shivers up and down my spine, continuing up my arms and over my shoulders, until they buried themselves in my hair.

 _This is what I have been waiting for_. I opened my mouth fully to him and my tongue met his every stroke, moaning into his mouth, pleading for more. This is what I'd wanted, this is what I'd needed, everything was okay now that he was holding me in his arms and I could taste him. Now that he was blocking out the rest of the world and there was only him. His deep, endless kisses were waking up every part of me, bits that were normally dormant, all of me was filling with desire, stretching and pressing towards him, inviting him in, begging to be claimed completely.

His mouth broke from mine, releasing my gasps and moans to the night air, his lips trailing hotly to my ear.

"Say it," he commanded.

"I belong to you," I cried, knowing exactly what he wanted. "No one else can touch me."

His lips and tongue slid down my neck, leaving a hot trail that cooled quickly in the night air, coming to rest at my collarbone, licking and sucking and nibbling. My own hands moved restlessly, stroking over his strong biceps, weaving their way through his silky hair, while my body stood on tiptoe, pressing towards him, offering myself up, endlessly begging for more.

His hands moved to untie the bow holding the top of my bathing suit together, and he knelt before me to drag his tongue in a long lick up the valley between my breasts. I reached back and untied the bow at the base of my neck, pulling off the scrap of fabric and tossing it away. I didn't want anything at all to come between us.

He began to lavish his attention on my breasts, his movements methodical and seemingly perfect. His hot mouth teased over my water-cooled skin, exploring my breasts without touching my nipples, his tongue lapping over my soft curves, his teeth grazing gently, his lips taking nipping kisses that sucked at my tender flesh. He continued until I was whimpering and begging, my pleas echoing up into the night sky, my fingers running over his strong shoulders and pulling at his hair.

Finally, his mouth closed on an aching nipple, his tongue swirling, his lips sucking, his teeth catching and tugging. I thanked him with moans of pleasure and traced my fingers over the delicate swirls of his ears. He was slightly rough, as if determined to wring every bit of sensation possible from my breasts.

His hand slipped around me to stroke circles into the small of my back before dipping below the fabric of my bikini bottoms and cupping my ass with this hot fingers, starting up a rhythmic squeezing that echoed the throbbing ache in my lower belly.

I clutched at his shoulders, my knees had begun to tremble, my legs losing strength as his mouth moved down, tracing a belt of kisses and hot licks over my waist, where the cool lapping waves contrasted perfectly, sending shivers down my spine and legs. His fingers untied the bows at my hips, pulling the last barrier that covered me from between my legs and setting it free to float atop the water.

His hand moved to explore my slit, stroking over my tender flesh with hot fingers, slipping through the burning slick of desire that waited for him there, cold water swirling in the mix, increasing the pleasure the his touch ignited in me.

" _Eisuke, Eisuke_ ," I cried, tugging at him, filled with nothing but wanting, wanting, wanting. He was giving me so much pleasure but it was only compounding my need for more.

He rose up quickly in the water, waves flowing down his body and splashing onto my fevered skin. His hands closed firmly on my waist and he picked me up, settling me carefully on the side of the pool so that my ass was at the edge and my legs dangled into the water. I leaned back on my elbows, my eyes following him as without a moment's hesitation, he stepped between my legs, his hand falling hotly on my water-cooled thigh and lifting my leg, opening me to his invasion.

I watched, mesmerized and with bated breath, as he spread the lips of my throbbing pussy with his fingers and lowered his head to slowly lick through my soft folds and over my clit. "Oh God, Oh God," I cried and moaned loudly at both the sensations his tongue sent flowing through me and the overt sexiness of the sight of his tongue on me.

He tipped his head up, his eyes meeting mine for a moment before his tongue flicked out to lick over his upper lip and his mouth dipped back down to devour my pussy.

" _Jesus fucking Christ_ ," I quavered, giving up my last threads of self-control. I lay back on the cold wet tile, writhing, screaming, feeling nothing but the pleasure that he was giving me with a focused mastery.

He attacked my sex with a shameless verve, no hesitation, no holding back. His tongue exploring thoroughly, claiming every centimeter of my soft flesh, branding me with his heat. His lips tugged, his teeth nibbled, his fingers opened, massaged, stretched and smoothed.

Finally, he moved to tend to my engorged clit, starting with tiny flicks from the tip of his tongue that slowly progressed into a firm, lapping massage. He slid two fingers inside of me, curved to stroke over my g-spot, and began to caress them in and out in an ever increasing rhythm that matched that of his tongue.

By this time I was so desperately aroused, it felt as if my body had opened up to him completely, in ways that I had never imagined possible. His fingers and lips pushed me higher and higher, my body tightening, trembling, as his mouth and fingers pushed me closer and closer to the edge. With a swirl of his fingers and a wicked suck from his lips, he flung me over into a wrenching orgasm, ecstasy coalescing at the point where his mouth met my body, tensing deep, arching my back and increasing the pitch of my screams.

I opened my eyes and watched Eisuke as an exquisite relaxation flooded over me, my mouth gasping for air, my body still trembling with deep echoes of pleasure. He drug the back of his hand over his lips before pushing himself out of the pool and kneeling down beside me, droplets of water falling from his body and splashing onto my quivering skin.

At that moment, he was so fucking beautiful that it was nearly painful. His eyes glimmered as light and shadow played over the flawless lines of his face. His hair was a rumpled, half-dry mess, lending him an air of vulnerability that I had never seen before. The lines of his body were hard and well-defined, perfect, and I wanted nothing more than to have him covering me, so that I could feel his warmth all over my body.

He drew his fingers through the wet folds of my pussy and then moved to take his cock into his hand. At first, I just watched with surprised curiosity as he began stroking his shaft. When it dawned on me that he was going to get himself off, my hand moved to touch him, join him in some way. But he slapped me away with a quick flick of his wrist, leaving me to do nothing but watch, my eyes glued to the sight of him pleasuring himself.

He came with a soft moan, aiming his cock so that his jism splashed over my stomach. I gasped in surprise as the hot wetness fell on my night-cooled skin.

Eisuke immediately moved to the side and slipped back into the pool, walking through the water to retrieve the bottom of my bikini. He tossed it over to the side of the pool and said, "Stay out of the water unless I'm with you," before exiting the pool and going back into the penthouse, apparently unconcerned by his nakedness, without a backward glance.

I continued to lay on the tile, my legs still over the edge, dipping into the water of the pool. My breathing calmed, my heart rate slowed, my skin began to shiver in the night air. Thoughts swirled through my mind. That had been my best sexual experience, _ever_ , and we hadn't even actually had sex. I had never been so aroused, I had never cum so hard. It was really weird that Eisuke hadn't fucked me, since I'd certainly been more than willing, but was there anything normal about him? At all?

I glanced down at the jism that he'd splatted over my stomach. No man had ever done anything like that to me. Actually, I didn't have a lot of experience having sex… It wasn't easy to do in the city, in apartments, considering my penchant for screaming… But, I decided that I liked Eisuke cumming on me. _Turns out I'm a perv._ The thought felt empowering and made me laugh to myself.

I glanced over at the french doors that lead into the penthouse. Eisuke was inside, and he probably didn't have a reason to come back out. I quickly slipped into the pool, cleaning off my tummy and then dipping lower to wash the sweat from my skin. I scampered up the stairs and out of the pool, my eyes darting to the doors to ensure that Eisuke wasn't witness to my disobedience. I couldn't help but giggle to myself. Maybe being punished by him wasn't so bad?

I put the pink robe on and walked curiously over to the edge of the rooftop area, trying to find a way to see what was on the other side of the privacy fence that surrounded it. What else was up here on the roof? I racked my brain, trying to remember anything that I may have been told about the rooftop. Certainly, the Purple Horizon must be up here somewhere, but was it nearby? And the Sky Lounge? Was there another rooftop pool for guests? Or some sort of area for enjoying the outdoors? Who could have heard me screaming when Eisuke's head was buried between my thighs?

With a sigh, I gave up trying to figure it out. Whoever had heard, it was all over and they certainly couldn't have guessed who was making all of that noise anyway...right? I went upstairs – there was no sign of Eisuke anywhere – and took a shower and changed into my pajamas. The pajamas were black with thin white stripes. _Just how many patterns do these pajamas come in? Is someone getting them from a shop in the hotel, or are they ordering them from a factory now?_

After fetching my ring from downstairs – as silly as it was, I didn't want to go to sleep without it – I climbed into Eisuke's bed. The futon was gone and I just had to assume that was where he wanted me. I lay there until I fell asleep, holding back judgments or worries about what Eisuke and I had done. I'd parse through everything tomorrow and call myself all sorts of names, but for that night I would just lie there in the big comfy bed and enjoy the warm feelings of happiness and pleasure that were still flowing faintly in my veins.

Eisuke's Mental Notes 7/16/18:

… _Kuroba Takahiro_ _is concealing feelings of hate and truculence. Olivia to be used for gathering information on him. She is becoming a challenge, forming bonds with Soryu and he is indulging her. He 'had a talk' with me tonight and told me that I am being too hard on her, expecting too much. He is preoccupied with her comfort. She is mine and she will go where I place her and do as I please. I will use any means necessary to make her understand that she is mine. Eating her pussy is a uniquely pleasurable experience, perhaps because the only goal is to make her scream. It will be interesting to continue playing with her..._


	5. Humiliation

" _Wake up_."

I pushed myself up off of my pillow and looked at Eisuke with sleepy eyes. He stood staring coldly down at me, smirking, in his three-piece suit.

"Take a shower and report to your team. We're going to the IVC charity brunch, so don't worry about breakfast," he directed before turning to stalk out of the room.

I blinked after him before flopping back down on my pillow. "Good morning to you, too, Eisuke."

In the shower, rinsing bubbles from my hair, it suddenly dawned on me that something was missing. I was thinking about the events of last night, getting a little too hot and bothered in the shower, but I was not questioning my actions. My mind was not filled with self-recrimination as I had expected it to be in the light of day.

Where was the guilt? The blame? The self-hate? I'd only known Eisuke for four days and I'd let him do intimate things to my body. ' _Let him'_. That was wrong. I'd wanted him completely, fully, totally. If we had a different sort of relationship, I'd be snuggling up on his lap right now begging him to do it again. The responsibility certainly wasn't on him, no matter how much he talked about my belonging to him. I'd never even attempted to say no. Denying him, denying myself, hadn't even crossed my mind.

I got out of the shower and dried off, noticing the little red marks on my breasts, rubbing my hand over my tummy and remembering the feel of his hot wetness against my skin.

I'd had a friend while I was at university who had insisted that women should be free to make their own sexual decisions without feeling guilty or being judged. " _If you want to fuck him, fuck him. It doesn't have to be a relationship. It doesn't need to be anything more than it is. Just enjoy yourself_." I'd always agreed with her, in theory, that women should be able to live like that. I'd told myself that I just wasn't the type to be interested in or, satisfied by, casual sex.

But was this casual sex? I picked up my ring and slid it on my finger. I felt like I belonged to him, but wasn't that just silly and based on nothing? Was it some interpretation of a crush or infatuation? Certainly, I was a little bit obsessed with him because he was ruling over my life and pulling all the strings. And he was hot as hell. Maybe this was some sort of Stockholm Syndrome? It certainly wasn't anything like a normal relationship. Eisuke and I had never even had a real conversation that wasn't part of putting on an act. Unless you counted the times he scolded me or taught me how to swim, and those weren't the sort of interactions that you build a relationship on.

Pulling on my pink robe, I stepped out of the bathroom and stared at the bed. It had occurred to me that every time I went to sleep, I woke up with a stronger interest in and a stronger attraction to Eisuke. At night when I was sleeping, my brain was brewing up feelings for him, without my control, against my will. Or was it against my will? Because I was no longer fighting my attraction for him. I was unsure of what was going on, I wasn't completely comfortable with it, I had no idea how to define it, but I was looking forward to just living day by day and seeing where things went. It was stupid and I was almost certainly going to get my heart broken or at least bruised, but for the time being, I just couldn't find the will to put up a fight. The part of me that wanted him was obviously winning.

With a sigh I headed downstairs to join my team in the salon, calling a good morning to Soryu on the way. When I opened the door to the room, a new person was standing with Mika, Rin and Daichi.

My smile of welcome quickly turned to a frown as Mika said, "Olivia, this is Shiori. She's your esthetician." When I raised my eyebrows questioningly, she continued, "She's here to give you a bikini wax?"

"Like a brazilian?" I asked, looking at the woman, horror dawning over me.

"A full wax… Complete… Sometimes they call it the Hollywood, is what was ordered," Shiori answered hesitantly.

Everyone was looking around uncomfortably, doing everything but meeting my eyes. It was obvious that I hadn't been the one to order the wax. _A_ _full_ _wax_.

I turned on my heel and left the room without a word. By the time I reached the living room, I was hunched forward as I imagined the horrible pain that Eisuke had lined up for me.

"Are you sick?" Soryu asked as I dropped down to lie on the couch and threw my arm over my eyes.

"He ordered me a fucking wax, Soryu," I spat. "A full fucking bikini wax."

"Oh… uh..." Soryu was obviously shocked by the topic. I was keeping my eyes covered so that I wouldn't have to look at him. It would have been impossible to vent my frustration if I had to look him in the eye.

"This is so wrong on so many levels. Who is he to say what my body should look like? That's _my_ choice!" I knew that I was basically torturing Soryu by talking about this topic, but I was so angry that I didn't feel bad about spreading the pain. "This is so insulting, like there's something wrong with me! And it was obvious to my team that I had no idea what was going on, so they know that _he_ asked for this, not me! And he didn't even consult me."

"Olivia-" Soryu attempted to stop my tirade.

"Not to mention the pain! He's _so_ heartless and cold. Doesn't he realize how much this is going to hurt? I've never actually had a wax, but I know this is probably going to kill my soul!" I wailed.

" _Olivia_ ," Soryu said firmly, probably desperate for the conversation to be over. "I will agree that Eisuke is being insensitive. Did you ever expect anything else?"

When I answered with a tiny, "no", he continued. "I've told you that the best thing to do is to not stand in the way of what he wants. I know that you will not always be able to follow through with that advice. At some point you will find that you have no choice but to tell him no. What you have to decide is whether this is the time you put your foot down, or if you should save that no for later."

I sat up and looked unhappily over at Soryu, feeling defeated. I'd wanted sympathy and he had given me logic. "You're right," I murmured. "He could ask for something much worse later. I don't even want to imagine what that could be. It looks like I don't have a choice. But I already knew that."

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Mamoru was over in his usual spot by the window, trying to hide behind a file folder.

"Fuck," I whispered as the additional humiliation fell on my head. "I hate all of you today."

I stood up and walked back to my salon to offer myself up for torture.

Eisuke gave me his usual searching stare when he came downstairs and Soryu and I moved to join him. Once in the elevator he opened his mouth. "What's wrong with her? Her eyes are red."

"What's wrong with me?!" I wanted to hit him. I felt like an erupting volcano. "Someone just yanked every single fucking hair out of my vag and asscrack, you sadistic monster!"

I stood breathing heavily, a part of me victorious because I'd told him how I felt and the other part waiting for the hammer to fall.

The elevator approached the second floor and Eisuke reached to take my hand, saying, "I'm looking forward to that."

My jaw dropped and my cheeks flushed, but he just pulled me off the elevator, not even glancing at me to get my reaction. I quickly averted my eyes and just followed where he led, vowing not to look in Soryu's direction for as long as I could manage.

The IVC Charity Brunch had been set up in the main ballroom on the second floor. Double doors led into an adjoining room and were propped open and Eisuke headed for the other room first, where a silent auction was being held. Of course, it took us a while to reach the other room, since Eisuke had to stop for greetings along the way. I realized that I needed to get my planned bag of books, magazines and crochet supplies together as soon as possible. It would serve Eisuke right if everyone thought his girlfriend was crazy because she was always trailing behind him crocheting a scarf.

As I was chuckling to myself at the mental image, the wife of the man Eisuke was talking to said, "Good morning, are you looking forward to the silent auction?"

I blinked at her in surprise. Someone was talking to me? I remembered that Eisuke had instructed Soryu to spread the lie that his purchase of me had been an act. Were people going to accept me now? Maybe?

"Yes, I am," I said with a smile, lying through my teeth. I hadn't even known about the auction until I saw the sign posted outside the door to the ballroom. "How about you?"

"Oh, yes, there's a limited edition handbag in there designed by Annabelle Le Monte. I just hope I'm the winning bid!"

"I can't wait to take a look around. It's so fun to put down your bid and having no idea if you will actually win. I love a surprise." And I loved spouting nonsense. Good thing my high school had put on a silent auction to raise money for a class trip, or I wouldn't even know what one was.

The woman agreed and gave me another smile as we separated from each other and Eisuke led me into the auction room. There were quite a few things on display and all of them looked very expensive.

"Let me know whenever you see something that you'd like, and I'll place a bid on it,"

"What? No. I don't need any of these things,"

"I need to participate in the auction and it makes sense that I would want to indulge my girlfriend," Eisuke whispered in my ear, his voice laced with steel. "So, choose at least five things."

Plastering on a fake smile, I said, "Yes, Eisuke. Thank you, Eisuke."

He flashed me a warning glance, light flaring in his brown eyes, before releasing my hand and turning to greet a man that was approaching him. I bit my lip and turned away, his look had unexpectedly sent shivers up my spine and made my nipples tighten. ' _What the hell? No!'_ I tamped down on my feelings and wandered away, looking at the auction items, half-expecting to be called back to his side. I worked my way around the room, reading the descriptions that were printed on little cards next to all of the items, summarizing the famous artists, designers and brands and explaining what made each item special.

My strategy was to look for things that were useful. I had to dress up all the time, so emerald earrings were probably a decent idea, but the penthouse was fully furnished, so there was no need to bid on a fancy handmade rug from Turkey. As I examined the displays, women began coming over to me, introducing themselves and exchanging a few meaningless pleasantries. It was strange, and nice and annoying.

I looked over at Eisuke. The overhead lights were gleaming off his hair and he had a serious expression on this face as he spoke to an older man. This wasn't annoying to him, this was his job and he seemed to be particularly skilled at it.

"Oh, he _is_ so very handsome," a voice sighed next to me with cheerful humor.

Looking over, I recognized one of the women who had been at the zoo the day before. There, she'd looked hot and exasperated as she'd tried to wrangle a set of rambunctious twin boys. Today, she was cool and very well put together.

"Oh yes, he is," I said a bit belatedly, realizing that if I were really his girlfriend I would be proud of his good looks or jealous of the other woman's attention to it, rather than feeling as if someone were reminding me of my Achilles heel.

"It really is something to snag the great Ichinomiya. How _did_ you manage it?"

"Clumsiness, I suppose. I fell down a flight of stairs and he came to my rescue. It was love at first sight."

"Really? The damsel in distress, would have guessed that Ichinomiya would have a hero complex."

"Well, I wouldn't say that he has a complex, but he was certainly my hero." "I know a woman who had a brief fling with him. He's supposed to be extraordinary in bed. She said that he was more skilled than a gigolo."

I returned her smile and pretended that my sickly sweet words didn't make me want to gag. She explained to me about Eisuke's presumed bravado, glancing over to where he was shaking hands with another man. ' _Okay, what? Why would you talk about how another woman's man is in bed?'_ She was definitely digging hard for dirt. "Well, I wouldn't know about that. We've only known each other for a few days," I said carefully, deciding that the truth was the best weapon in this battle. "I'm not the sort to instantly jump into bed with a man." ' _Or well, at least I wasn't…'_

"Oh? But I'd heard that you were living with him?"

"Yes, but that was because I hit my head and the doctor had some concerns about a possible concussion. Eisuke insisted that I stay with him so that he could ensure that I was safe."

"But you're still staying in his apartment, even now?"

"Yes, at this point we really can't bear to be separated."

"I see. Well, I'd better get back to my hubby. He's probably getting worried that I'm placing too many bids since I've been in here so long."

' _Oh my God, this is getting too ridiculous.'_ I I scanned the room looking for a trash can, a smile on my face. It would probably look bad if I threw up in the ugly urn that was on display nearby. She laughed before turning and walking away.

I sighed and hoped that I'd said the right things. What I probably needed was to be briefed on the exact story that I was supposed to be putting out - and it wouldn't hurt to have some lessons on dealing with gossipy women. Though I was sure that even Soryu wasn't practiced at that.

Continuing my way around the venue, I stood in front of a delicate piece of pottery shaped like a bird when Soryu came and stepped in front of me. He leaned on the table - which the piece sat on - and look down at my face.

"Do you like this one?" he asked quietly. "Yeah," I answered. "It reminds me of my mom."

He nodded in understanding. "We'll have to place a bid on it. I noticed the women are talking to you now. Do you still hate me today?"

I looked up at the apologetic smile on his face and laughed. "No, I guess not. You've redeemed yourself."

"That's good," he said and raised his eyebrows suggestively. "It sounds like Eisuke plans on redeeming himself tonight."

"What?!" I felt my cheeks flush and raised my hand to give his arm a playful slap. "Don't say things like that!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked innocently. "I thought we were besties now. We can say anything to one another. I've got an appointment with my urologist next week, but we should catch up on that later when I'll have more time to go into detail."

As I groaned, I felt a warm hand close on mine. "Olivia, Darling, let's take our seats," Eisuke said, his mouth close to my ear. "I'm sure you're feeling hungry."

"Oh, yes, that sounds wonderful," I replied cheerfully, trying to ignore the warm pulsing that his nearness started in me. At the table, I told Eisuke which items I'd liked and he sent Soryu in to bid on them.  
"In a silent auction like this, how likely are you to win? We have no idea what other people are willing to pay."

"The odds are hard to calculate, since there are so many unknown variables. Is there something in particular that you want?"

"Well, the little bird. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed."

"That's where you were standing with Soryu, is he aware that you especially want it?"

Eisuke once again demonstrated his unusual eye for detail.

"Yeah, I think so. I told him that it reminded me of my mother."

"Good. If we don't win the bid, I'll commission the artist to make another for you."

"Oh, well, that isn't necessary. I'll be okay without it. You shouldn't go to any trouble."

"Don't argue with me."

"Yes, Eisuke. Thank you very much. I really would like to have one of those little birds."

I realized that I was being kind of stupid: I really should accept it when he was being nice to me.

Soryu returned to the table and soon after that Ota joined us. "Good morning all, how's the food?"

"It's delightful of course," Eisuke replied in a serious voice. Ota chuckled. "Don't worry, Eisuke, I'm not questioning the skills of your staff." He turned to look at Soryu. "I _am_ questioning you, Soryu. You've got to be the one that started the rumor that the thing with Eisuke buying Olivia was some kind of setup for a fetish."

"Yeah, that's the story that we want going around," Soryu said with a nod.

"Shit. Do you know how many women have already offered to play the same little game for me? I'm being completely bombarded," Ota said, and it was hard to tell if his statement was more a complaint or braggadocio.

"We won't be playing any games like that with the Auction," Eisuke said, back to his usual bored voice and smirk. "Don't get any ideas."

"That's right. I know," Ota smiled in the face of Eisuke's seriousness. "I'm telling everyone that it was a one time thing for the boss man. I just wanted to make sure that it was an official story, and not just a random rumor."

Ota was reaching to snatch something off of Soryu's plate when a beautiful young woman walked up to the table.

"Kisaki!" she pouted, "come and join us at our table. We want your opinion about a party that Megumi is going to throw next month."

"Gotta go," Ota said with a laugh, before leaning over to Soryu and saying very seriously, "Baba and I need to talk to you later about one of the entries in the Auction."

I watched Ota walk away and said, "I guess Baba was serious when he was talking about Ota's luck with women."

"Yes, he does seem to have more than his fair share," Soryu nodded. "Women can't seem to keep themselves away from the Angelic Artist act."

"What's the act?" I asked.

"Olivia," Eisuke interrupted, and I glanced over to meet his piercing gaze. ' _Breathe, just breathe.'_ "I'd like you to explain to me what 'Frappuccino Zoolander' means."

I felt the color drain from my cheeks and I painfully swallowed the bite of food in my mouth. "Oh, well-" My mind raced for an explanation. "That's nothing, really. Just something my friends and I used to say when I was in college. Like an inside joke."

"I see now how you were able to maneuver so well when you were lying to Carolina. Your mind moves quickly, or at least it does when you're making things up. You must have been a naughty child," he said in that casual voice that was so very unlike Eisuke. My stomach dropped. He stood up and held his hand out to me. "We'll be going upstairs now, Soryu. Take your time and enjoy your meal."

I hesitantly put my hand in his and he pulled me to my feet. I looked over at Soryu, but he was looking off to the side. He didn't want to get involved. He couldn't interfere.

In the elevator Eisuke continued holding my hand, his thumb caressing gently over my skin the entire time we rode to the top of the hotel. I was trembling, my heart pounding, biting my lip so that I wouldn't start spouting nonsense and excuses. What had I been thinking, lying to him? His eyes read everything.

Inside the penthouse there were boxes on the coffee table and Mamoru was sitting in his usual spot with a stack of papers in his hand. He looked over at us with mild interest as we walked through the room. I could see his eyes widen and his eyebrows raise when he recognized the fear on my face.

Eisuke led me upstairs, where he leaned against his desk and crossed his arms. Once again I stood before him, guilty as hell.

"The truth. Now."

"Okay, this is hard to explain. I want you to understand why I did it. It isn't as bad as it seems."

I glanced up at him. His eyes were hard and cold, his mouth an angry slash. He raised an eyebrow, indicating that he required further explanation. I took a deep breath and continued speaking.

"I was just having trouble coping with...with how attractive you are. It helped me to make up a silly name for you. I would make jokes in my head to fight off thoughts of being attracted to you," I said, hating how silly and weak the words made me sound. "Frappuccino because of the color of your eyes and Zoolander is from a movie. A funny movie about a male model."

"You lied to me," he said slowly and distinctly. "I need to trust you. You are in my home and in my bed. You are in my life. I am planning on sending you out into the hotel to work. I will be relying on your discretion and your loyalty. I will need to trust you completely. And you jeopardized the faith I had placed in you by lying about a silly nickname."

He stood up and removed his suit jacket and then his cufflinks, placing everything carefully on the desk. He began rolling up the sleeves of his white oxford shirt as he spoke.

"A child thinks her immediate comfort is more important than being trusted. You have behaved like a child and, by doing so, caused me to call into question my confidence in your ability to handle your position as my girlfriend as well as the assignment that I have given you with Takahiro.

Perhaps, like a child. You need to be punished by being locked up in a room. I wouldn't have to worry about any damage that you might cause if you were contained."

"No, please, Eisuke. I… I don't want to be locked up. Please don't."

I begged him with my eyes, knowing that my words meant nothing. He stepped over and took my elbow, guiding me over to the couch and before I knew what was happening, I was lying across his knee.

' _Oh my God_! _He's going to spank me_.' I was shocked, and didn't know whether I was supposed to be frightened or turned on. His last two punishments had been sexual, but neither of them had involved pain. I had no idea what to expect - until I felt his hand flick my dress up over my back and then pull down the lacy thong that I was wearing, bearing my ass to the cool air.

One of his hands settled hot on my waist to hold me in place. My stomach twisted in anticipation of his first blow.

" _You must not lie to me again_ ," he said, each word clean and distinct, full of a cold anger.

My ass tensed. This couldn't just be some flirtatious spanking, he was far too angry. I could feel fear shooting through my limbs and I began to tremble. A shocked gasp fell from my lips as I felt his fingertips lightly brush across the back of my knee and then begin to trail up my thigh. The movement was soft and exploring, smoothing across my skin and pushing away some of my fear and tension. His hand continued up, over the curve of my ass, and his fingers began to caress my cheeks, warm and lightly massaging.

A soft sigh escaped me, every bit of attention that I had was focused on those unseen fingertips as they worked in gentle circles over my behind. I felt all of the tension leaving me as desire replaced fear. I wanted to stretch like a cat. My nipples hardened and my sex dampened and began to throb, aching for his fingers to close the few inches of distance that separated them.

I didn't have to wait long. His hand slipped between my thighs and a finger traced through the wet valley of my pussy, heading straight for my clit and tracing two slow circles around it. I moaned at the aching pleasure that was building in me. His hand slid from my between my thighs, his fingers skimming my ass, trailing my own hot wetness across my skin to cool in the air, and-

 _Thwack!_

I screeched and jumped in shock as his hand came down on my ass with stinging force. His hand at my waist tightened and held me down firmly as his free hand dealt another blow, this time to my other ass cheek. I hurriedly bit my lip, not wanting to make any more sounds that would echo throughout the penthouse and let everyone know what Eisuke was doing to me. Tears of pain and shock began leaking from my eyes and trailing down into my hair as I hung, vulnerable, across his lap. Each slap was worse than the one before as he alternated between both cheeks, the pain accumulating, sending waves of distress and fear through me. ' _How angry is he? How many times will he hit me? When will this end?'_

Despite the fear and pain, my pussy was still wet and throbbing, pain and passion becoming a brutal mix inside of me. His hard strikes sent zings of pleasure to my sex, little lightning bolts that traveled the short distance from my ass to attack my clit. I whimpered helplessly, reaching to grab his leg and writhe my body on his lap. His grip on my waist tightened further, increasing to a nearly painful pressure and holding me immobile as his hand continued to punish my ass.

Suddenly, he pushed me off of his lap and I fell into a surprised heap on the floor. He stood up and I immediately felt his shoe come to rest on my back, holding me in place with controlled force. I lay quietly, not moving, not knowing what to do. I was in pain, my body was still throbbing with desire, and it didn't seem like he was finished with me.

I heard rustling above me and knew that he was doing something with his clothes. Taking them off? Was he going to fuck me now? In anger? My mind rebelled at the idea, but my pussy was aching for him. A soft sob of frustration and confusion escaped me. I was glad that my hair covered my face, I didn't want him to see me. I didn't want him to look in my eyes and read my conflicted feelings.

A rhythmic rubbing sound began and I realized that he was jacking off. I couldn't help picturing it, his hand moving over his hard shaft, the curved head, the tip...was it glistening with precum? I wanted to lick it, I wanted to taste him, to feel him in my mouth.

I quietly groaned, hidden behind my hair. He was too fucking desirable. He had just spanked me, _hard_ , but all I could think about was how much I wanted him. I wanted to roll over and beg him to fuck me, to use me, to do whatever he wanted to do as long as I could feel him pressed against me, covering me. The weight of his shoe on my back was a blessing, preventing me from following through with my desires and humiliating myself. If he'd wanted to fuck me, he'd be fucking me. Apparently, he'd rather take care of himself.

His deep sigh indicated his release, the hot liquid splashing onto my ass. I bit my lip so that I wouldn't embarrass myself by moaning erotically. Forcing myself not to squirm, I felt his jism on my skin, filling me with pleasure and increasing the ache between my legs. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my head into the floor. I would not think about how much I'd rather he was filling my mouth with his cum.

His shoe lifted from my back and I felt his presence above me and then crossing the room as he began arranging his clothes. I didn't move a muscle. I didn't want to look at him. It was enough to picture him crisp and clean, rolling down his sleeves and replacing his cufflinks. While I lay on the floor like a filthy whore. ' _Happily. While I lay on the floor, happy to be his filthy whore. God dammit.'_

His footsteps crossed the room again, this time pausing to stand next to me.

"Do not make the mistake of lying to me again. Next time, I will not go easy on you."

I listened to him leave the room and descend the stairs. He was right, I shouldn't have done anything to damage his trust. I depended on him completely. He was providing everything to me, except the air that I breathed. He had saved me at the Auction and I had made a mockery of him. I really had deserved to be punished.

With a sigh, I contemplated my position. My ass was covered with his seed, and I couldn't stand up without it dripping to the floor. I had no choice but to smooth my dress down over it and gently pat around, hoping the fabric would soak up the wetness. . I'd cleaned enough hotel rooms to know how unpleasant it could be for the staff if I left any evidence of our activities on the floor.

I took off my shoes and pulled off my panties, carrying the items into the bedroom with me as I headed to the bathroom. At least my walk of shame was short. In the bathroom, I slipped off the dress and checked my ass out in the mirror. It was glowing red, a testament to Eisuke's serious intentions when it came to my punishment.

When I stepped into the shower, a little 'eep' of pain escaped my lips, the spray stinging my mistreated skin. I quickly moved out of the water, into the safety of the far corner of the shower, but an idea crossed my mind. Propping one hand against the tile wall, I slipped the other between my legs, my fingers sliding over the newly bared skin of my sex.

' _Jesus. No wonder Eisuke wanted me to get a full wax.'_ My fingers glided over the smooth skin of my outer lips, they were still engorged with arousal after my encounter with Eisuke and I allowed a moan to escape from my mouth. Feeling my fingers sliding over my slippery folds of skin was deeply enjoyable. The idea of Eisuke doing the same was very exciting and a slideshow of images rolled in my mind as I massaged the lips of my pussy. I remembered the sight of him tilting his head towards mine to take command of my mouth, his lips plucking at my nipple, and his tongue licking up through my slit before his eyes raised to meet mine.

I moaned and began circling my fingers around my clit, slowly easing my behind under the spray of the water, the tingling sensations of pain fueling my arousal. As I remembered him spanking me, I pictured his hand coming down on my ass, hearing the sound of the slaps echoing in the room.

Tension was building within me, my breath growing ragged as I imagined the head of his cock, sliding over my lips and onto my tongue. I applied more pressure, closing in on my engorged nub as I pictured myself looking up at him, his shaft filling my mouth and meeting his beautiful light brown eyes. He smiled down at me and threaded his fingers through my hair, tugging gently.

" _Fuck_ ," I hissed, by body beginning to shake, my knees threatening to give out. My thighs attempted to close on my hand, to stop my movement, to protect me from an overload of sensation, but I pushed forward. Applying more pressure to my throbbing clit, I remembered the feel of Eisuke's cum splashing over my stomach and ass.

I moaned loudly as an orgasm crested within me, continuing to rub my pussy, wringing every bit of pleasure that I could out of myself until waves of relaxation took over and I gave up. Leaning against the cool tile wall I sighed. It wasn't like I had never masturbated before, but all of the circumstances added up were pointing to a change in me. Eisuke had spanked me, I'd _liked it_ , and then masturbated afterwards. I'd just been moaning away in the shower and maybe I only halfway cared if anyone had heard me.

My life had changed. My old life was gone and this was my new one. This new life of mine revolved around Eisuke. Where did he want me to be, how did he want me to act and _who_ did Eisuke want me to be? Those were the only questions that mattered right now. That sort of thinking should have horrified me. I should have been appalled at myself. Instead, I felt comfortable. If I focused everything on making him happy, then I should be happy, too. He would reward me, not punish me and my days would be smooth sailing.

Then again, that was probably just the afterglow talking.

I showered and dried my hair - and this time I was smart enough to think of wrapping a towel around myself before stepping out into the bedroom. It was too early in the day for my pajamas to be waiting for me on the dresser. My dress was covered in cum and my robe was downstairs in my salon. I walked over to Eisuke's closet and pulled out one of his white oxford shirts. Feeling a little guilty doing it, since it was the sort of thing that a real girlfriend did - a cute couples thing - but I did need something to wear to get myself downstairs to where my clothes were kept. And I did enjoy the feel of being wrapped in Eisuke's shirt, it was soft and cool and crisp. It made me want things that I shouldn't even imagine.

Walking back downstairs, in truth, I felt like creeping guiltily through the penthouse, but I forced myself to use a more confident stride. Mamoru was again hiding behind a file folder, he'd probably seen my bare feet and legs coming down the stairs. In my salon, I found a pair of jeans and a top. I wanted the feeling of comfort and safety that I would find by covering up most of my body, but it was not to be. Even with an expensive pair of jeans - that were much softer than I had ever imagined denim could be - my ass was so sensitive that the fabric felt abrasive against my skin. In the end, I pulled on the lightest, silkiest dress that I could find and headed out to the living room.

This time, Mamoru nodded at me and said, "Those boxes are for you," his hand pointing to the coffee table.

I approached the coffee table curiously, but also a little wary. I had to remind myself that the boxes had been there when Eisuke and I had returned from brunch, it was almost impossible for them to hold a punishment. Opening the lid of the first box, I felt a rush of joy and reached in to pull out a little hummingbird figurine that had belonged to my mother.

"My stuff!" I called out to no one in particular, feeling as if I might cry as relief and nostalgia filled me. I sat down and began going through the boxes, first just looking at my things and allowing memories of them to warm me, but then beginning to purposefully sort through them.

I didn't have a lot, after all, being briefly homeless had forced me to sell or get rid of most of the things that had been in the apartment that I had shared with my mother. But I had saved the things that were most important to me: pictures of my mom and some small pieces of artwork that she had treasured. And they were waiting for me in the boxes. I gathered them into two bundles and took them to my salon and Eisuke's bedroom, arranging a few things on a shelf in the salon and on the nightstand next to my side of the bed. It felt as if I were carving out two small areas of the penthouse to be truly my own, and the thought filled me with satisfaction and contentment.

When I returned to the living room, a maid appeared carrying another box. "This is also for you, Miss," she said with a smile. When I moved to meet her and take the box from her, she shook her head. "No, I should put it on the table," she said, and placed it on the coffee table next to the other boxes.

I thanked her and moved over to open the lid, wondering if we had won the bid for the little bird, but I was confronted with a different animal entirely. When the lid was off, a small orange kitten stared up at me from inside the box. I froze in shock and just stared at it for a few moments.

"A kitten," I breathed and looked up to find that the maid had already disappeared. I looked over my shoulder towards the window and called, "Mamoru, there's a kitten in this box."

Mamoru put down the papers that he was holding and got up to saunter over to stand next to the coffee table. He descended into a crouch and put a finger out to stroke the fuzzy head. "Yep," he said. "That's a kitten."

He scooped it up and reached over to hand it to me. I took the little thing gently from his hand and held it against my chest. _It was purring_. "But why would someone give me a kitten?" I asked.

"Well, ' _someone_ ' didn't give you a kitten. Eisuke is the only one who could have authorized this," Mamoru pointed out. "I've found that it's usually best not to try to guess at his motives or intentions, that's a pretty slippery slope. It's easier just to take things at face value. He gave you a kitten. You've got a kitten. Give it kisses."

With a shrug, he turned and headed back to his spot by the window. I took his advice and cuddled the kitten, dropping some kisses on its head. The conversation that I'd had the other night with Soryu replayed in my head. I'd told him that Eisuke had stolen my life, and pieces of my life had been returned to me. Did that mean that Soryu had told Eisuke what I had said? Had Soryu suggested that my things be given to me, along with a kitten, or had Eisuke been the one to think of it? Did it even matter?  
The maid returned carrying supplies for the cat and I helped her set up a litter box and bowls of food and water, even though she tried to shoo me away. I spent the next couple of hours playing with the kitten or, when the kitten was sleeping, I read a book about taking care of cats that the maid had brought in along with the other supplies.

Sometime in the late afternoon, the front door opened and I looked to see Baba and Ota stepping into the penthouse. They both came over with smiles and greetings, reacting with surprise when they saw the kitten sleeping curled up next to me.

"A kitten?!" Ota was incredulous. "Where did it come from?" "It was in that box," I said, pointing out the container. "Eisuke gave you a cat?" Baba asked, taking a seat on the couch and reaching out to pet the kitten. "Things are going in unexpected directions. This is going to be fun." "Absolutely," Ota said. "Cats are no joke. There's probably going to be bloodshed." "Bloodshed?" I asked, looking down at the harmless ball of fluff that was chasing Baba's fingers.

"Animals hate Eisuke," Ota said. "He's brought an enemy into his own home." "Maybe it's just dogs," Baba suggested. "And squirrels." "Squirrels? Why would squirrels hate him?" I laughed.

"I'm not sure, but we were undercover in a park once and Eisuke decided that he was going to hide in plain sight by feedings the squirrels. It did not turn out well. Those little kamikazes destroyed his favorite pair of shoes," Baba explained. He and Ota were both chuckling at the memory.

"Undercover? Like undercover police?" I asked curiously.

"No, Olivia. Not like undercover police. Like undercover criminals. Bad guys in disguise," Ota said, his voice a little condescending. "Oh, how could I forget. You guys are the criminals. There aren't any police around here." I sent a pointed look over to where Mamoru was napping in his chair. The loud sigh that escaped him indicated that he wasn't actually asleep.

The front door opened again and Soryu came in, walking over to join us in the seating area. His eyes narrowed when he saw the kitten. "A kitten?" he asked, his eyes shooting between Baba and Ota accusingly. I guess that reaction solved the mystery of where the idea originated.

"Hey, don't look at us," Baba laughed. "This had to have come from Eisuke. We aren't _that_ stupid." Soryu's face softened a little, although he still appeared to be skeptical. "Well, Olivia," he said. "I hope this makes you happy." "It does," I said with a smile. "I've never had a pet before."

"Have you given it a name?" Soryu asked. "I was thinking Kaki. I still don't know if it's a boy or a girl, but I think the name will work either way." "That's easy to find out," Baba said, flipping the kitten over gingerly. "My grandmother had a dozen cats in her barn. I'm an expert at this. It's a female."

"Kaki?" Ota said, pulling out his phone. "I love persimmons. I'm going to call the front desk and have them send up some hoshigaki."

"Save that for later, Ota. Let's go have that talk," Soryu directed. The doorbell rang as Baba and Ota were standing up. "That should be your team, Olivia. It's time to get ready for dinner."

Mika, Rin and Daichi cooed over the kitten and took turns holding her while they waited to work on me. "I can't believe Mr. Ichinomiya gave you a kitten!" Rin wailed. " _I_ need a sweet and romantic boyfriend like that!" "Guh," Daichi sighed. "Do not even say that. Mortal men should not be held to the standard set by Eisuke Ichinomiya. I'm sure that every woman would love a rich boyfriend who drives expensive cars and passes out kittens like candy, but nobody else can live up to that."

"I agree with Daichi," Mika chimed in. "I've always thought a pet was a terrible gift, unless you know that the other person wants it – no offense, Olivia. If someone gave me a kitten, I would just be thinking about the burden of taking care of it for 15 years. That's a decision that I really need to make for myself, not something someone else should be making for me."

"Mika! Don't say that! This cute little thing could never be a burden," Rin cooed.

"I do understand what you're saying, Mika," I said. "But I'm also happy to have a kitten."

Her comment had made me think about the gift a little deeper. What _had_ Eisuke been thinking? When he gave me my freedom, it _would_ be more difficult for me if I had a cat. Pets weren't allowed in the employee dorms. I would need to get an apartment for myself and Kaki. Had Eisuke thought about that? Didn't he always seem to think of _everything_. Had he just not cared about whatever snags owning a pet would create for me in the future? Maybe he just wasn't aware of those sorts of problems since he was wealthy and so many things came easily.

Dinner was at the Breakstone and Soryu escorted me down to the restaurant, explaining that Eisuke had gone directly there with a few men that he had been in a meeting with. I hesitated as soon as I stepped inside and saw what was waiting. Several tables had been pushed together to form a long dining table, the men were sitting on one half of the table, and their wives and girlfriends on the other. All of the seats were already filled except one. I was going to have to sit right in the center of the women, far from Eisuke.

Remembering the woman at the silent auction, I looked up at Soryu who immediately read the worry in my eyes. "It'll be okay," he said, though I could see in his eyes that he was also concerned. "Stick to the story, make up some romantic stuff, but nothing serious, and remember that you don't have to answer any questions that you don't want to answer."

I nodded and he guided me to my seat, expertly introducing me to the seven other women who were seated at the table.

They were nice. Of course they were nice, perfectly polite and well-mannered. At first they kept the topic in easy safe waters, asking for my thoughts on the silent auction and praising the items that I had bid on. "Ah, yes. The little bird, it was quite exquisite. Have you heard if you won the bid?" Diamond Hairpin asked with the ever present smile that these women seemed to have honed to perfection.

"No, I haven't heard anything about the results," I replied, trying to match her casual air and big smile. It was already making me feel a little exhausted. "Eisuke has been busy this afternoon, so I haven't seen him since the brunch."

"I saw you leaving together," Black Dress said, her voice a little teasing. "Ichinomiya had a particular glint in his eye. I'm sure the two of you had a bit of fun after your meal."

My stomach twisted unpleasantly. ' _Good God, those women are vultures, circling me and waiting for their chance to rip into me.'_ "Yes, well, he did escort me back up to the penthouse," I said vaguely, reminding myself that Soryu was right. I didn't have to answer any questions or give out any information unless I wanted to.

But Black Dress was not satisfied with my answer. Her eyes glinted a bit ruthlessly and she pulled out a trump card. "Well, I think we've all heard about Ichinomiya's prowess in bed," she said with a little laugh. "Reina's actually dated him. Didn't you, Reina?"

"Oh, yes," the beautiful young woman sitting at the end of the table replied. She flashed a knowing smile. "Eisuke and I dated for six weeks. It was a record. I don't think any other woman has made it over four. We had so much fun together."

Her voice was beyond suggestive, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that she was talking about anything except having sex with him. I tried to rein things in by pretending that I took her comment at face value. "He _is_ so much fun. The other day he was trying to teach me how to swim. Although, it seems like I might be hopeless at it," I said with a laugh.

Reina trilled a little laugh and said, "Ah, yes. I can remember doing it with him in the hot tub up on the roof. That man really is a sex god."

I bit my lip, feeling outnumbered and outmaneuvered. How could I possibly win against all of these women? I didn't even exactly understand the game that they were playing. Did they just want me to give them details about our sex life? Why would that even be important?

"So I've heard," Green Dress chimed in. "But I've also heard that Olivia doesn't actually have sex with him. Is it true Olivia that you have some old-fashioned beliefs about not jumping into bed with a man?"

A direct question, there was no avoiding it. I drew up all of my energy inside of me and tried to force a good answer out of my shocked brain. "I'm not sure how old-fashioned it is, but no, Eisuke and I haven't had sex. We haven't even been together for a week," I pointed out.

The women shifted and I watched them share glances as they processed what I said.

"It's hard to believe that Eisuke would be so passionless. That isn't the man that _I_ know." Reina's voice was strident, she seemed to be ready to go on the attack. "Is there something _wrong_ with him?"

The other women at the table seemed to hold their breath as they waited for my response. "I didn't say that he was passionless, but he is certainly kind enough to respect my wishes," I answered. Eisuke would probably be upset if a rumor started that he was impotent.

"Something must be going on," Reina snapped. "It doesn't make any sense for Eisuke to be dating some maid from the hotel. He only dates women who are rich, powerful or connected. What in the world could attract him to someone like you?"

A ripple went through the other women. "Reina," Green Dress said, "I think you're going too far."

"Too far? This little bitch hasn't even been dating him a week and everyone is acting like it's love? He's just like a dog sniffing around her because she isn't putting out." She turned to stare me in the eyes and said, "As soon as you have sex with him, he's going to break up with you. Guaranteed."

"Reina!" one of the other women hissed, but Reina stood up and walked away from the table without a backwards glance.

"I'm sorry about that," Pink Dress leaned towards me, speaking earnestly. "She really shouldn't have said that. She's just really jealous because she dated him for so long and she really thought they were going to last."

"But was it really that long?" Diamond Hairpin asked. "I've heard that Ichinomiya was in Brussels for a week and a half midway through their relationship. If you subtract that time, they were only together for a few days over four weeks. She's just indulging in wishful thinking. Especially if she's thinking he's going to get back together with her. Everyone knows that Ichinomiya never does that."  
"Oh, I hadn't heard that thing about Brussels," Green Dress said and all of the women began to chatter.

I sat, quietly processing this new information. It didn't matter how long Eisuke normally dated women - he and I weren't actually dating. This was nothing but an act. But maybe he would give me my freedom back in four weeks. Maybe just out of habit. And that's what I wanted, to be free and go back to my old life. Maybe I would miss Eisuke once I left, but I wasn't even sure of that. I just wanted to be gone from this place and these people. It was all so hard. Dealing with these women, dealing with Eisuke and my complicated attraction to him, pretending to be his girlfriend. I wanted nothing more than to jump back over the invisible wall and return to the life where the worst thing that happened to me was being bullied by Erika Oshiro or finding a clogged toilet in one of the rooms that I was supposed to clean.

After dinner we went directly to the casino. I wanted to thank Eisuke for the kitten, but didn't get a chance. As with the last time that we dined with several other men, he talked to Soryu nonstop about information that he had garnered during the meal.

Once in the casino, Eisuke asked Soryu to take care of me. "I'm going to go talk to Najibwe," he said, and disappeared into the crowd.

Soryu lead me over to a window, where a woman passed him a wooden rack lined with chips. He passed the rack to me, asking if I'd ever gambled before."No, of course not," I huffed, a little offended by the suggestion since I prided myself on saving money, not wasting it. "How much money is this, anyway?"

"It doesn't matter," he answered, continuing when I scoffed. "All of the money is Eisuke's anyway. Even if you lose every chip, it just goes back to Eisuke."

"Oh, well, I guess that does make sense," I said, looking around the casino. It didn't have a lot of flashing signs and blinking lights like I'd seen on television. "What do I do now?"

"Well, why don't we start with something easy," Soryu suggested. "How does roulette sound?" "Yes, let's go to the roulette table. I wonder if my friend is working," I said, suddenly realizing that I might get to see Sakiko.

"Let's go see."

I followed him through the thin crowd that circled the different gambling areas until we came to the table that held the roulette wheel. Sakiko was standing behind it next to a tall, thin man. She smiled brightly when she saw me. I circled the table and went to stand next to her. "Sakiko, I've missed you so much," I said quietly, trying not to draw a lot of attention.  
"I've missed you, too," she said. "Is it true that you fell in love with Mr. Ichinomiya at first sight?"

Her eyes were dancing with glee. She was happy to confirm the gossip first hand and she'd fallen for the fairy tale story hook, line and sinker. It was just the sort of thing that she'd probably daydreamed about happening to her.

"It still seems pretty crazy, but it just kinda happened. I think I may be going back to work next week."

"Yeah, I heard. You'll be working with Takahiro? You are so lucky," she said, still smiling. I breathed a sigh of relief. Sakiko was the sort of rare person that could be happy about the good fortune of others without being jealous.

"Mhmm, I think it is sort of a trial period thing, since Eisuke wants to train more women to be concierges. I'm not sure how long it will last," I said with a shrug.

I looked down at the chips in my hand. "Can you tell me how to play roulette?"

"Wow, that's a lot of chips," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"I think they just gave them to me to play with," I explained. "I don't think I'll actually get to keep any winnings." ' _Definitely not.'_ I remembered Baba making me hand over the sweaty fold of bills that I'd had hidden in my shoe. She laughed. "Well that's a good way to learn to gamble, no risk involved."

For the rest of the evening I hung out at the roulette table, chatting with Sakiko and slowly losing all of my chips. I never saw Eisuke and I couldn't help but think that it was because he was mad at me for lying to him. He'd always kept me nearby or at least within eyesight. I didn't know whether I should feel relief at being given a little freedom - or if I should be worried that I'd done far too much damage by lying to him.

On the ride up to the penthouse, he was once again speaking in a rapid-fire voice to Soryu. Once we were inside, he waved me upstairs distractedly as he continued giving orders and sharing his thoughts. I'd really wanted to thank him for the kitten, but I hadn't had even one chance to speak to him. I went upstairs with a sigh and found Kaki in a box on my side of the bed. 'Box' was an understatement. The thing was basically a habitat, containing an area to play and sleep, food and water, and a small litter box. Kaki would be safe and contained all night long.

After a shower, I played with the kitten for awhile, hoping that Eisuke would come upstairs and into the bedroom. I wanted to thank him, and I wanted to just talk to him for a little bit so that I could see if he was still angry with me. It didn't feel right to climb into the bed and go to sleep without knowing how things stood between us. However, I was tired and it seemed pointless to stay up any longer. Kaki was sleeping in her box, curled into a little ball and there was nothing else for me to do but turn in myself.

Sometime in the night I awoke to a prickling pain in my shoulder. I sleepily reached up and felt Kaki crouched at the top of my arm, digging her tiny claws through my pajamas and into my skin. She was hissing and meowing angrily. I pulled her from my arm and sat up in confusion, wondering what was going on.

Looking to my right, the direction that the kitten had been focused on when she was hissing, I saw Eisuke lying on the other pillow. His eyes were open, glistening in the darkness as he silently watched me and Kaki.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said quietly, moving to put the kitten back in her box. I remembered what Ota had said about animals hating Eisuke. Is that why Kaki had been hissing? "The corner of the blanket fell down into her box. She must have climbed it onto the bed."

I pulled the blanket up onto the bed and pushed the box further away, so the blanket couldn't fall back inside of it. Settling back on to my pillow, I hesitated for a moment before I lay on my side facing Eisuke. It seemed wrong to turn my back to him. His eyes were still open and watching me.

"Thank you very much for the kitten," I whispered. "She is a wonderful gift."

He continued watching me silently for a few more minutes. Finally, he closed his eyes, while I observed him for a bit longer. Wondering what he had been thinking, I closed my own eyes and went back to sleep.

Eisuke's Mental Notes 7/17/18:

 _...Had Olivia's personal items delivered to her as well as a kitten. Contentment should make her more biddable and she will take less effort. She lied to me and had to be punished. She is of no use to me unless she is loyal and trustworthy. It remains to be seen if she can be trained..._


	6. Lost

I was woken up the next morning by Kaki mewling in her box. With a smile, I scooped up my little kitty and played with her on the bed for awhile before heading in to take a shower. Taking off my pajamas, I carefully inspected my vulva. As I'd suspected from the moment that I woke up, it was covered with an angry red rash. The pain of the bikini wax just kept on giving.  
Carrying Kaki downstairs, I went straight to my salon, intending to have someone contact Shiori. Instead, she was there, hanging out on the couch with Mika and Rin.  
"Oh," I said with a cringe. "You aren't waxing something else today are you?" I was so not prepared for that.  
"Oh no, my dear," Shiori said with a laugh. "Today you get a facial and a massage."  
"I think I can handle that." I sighed with relief, but took a moment to think about the massage. It was the sort of unnecessary spoiling and pampering that people with a lot of money paid for, but really there was no sense denying it. If I hadn't said no to the wax, it would be crazy to reject a massage. Reminding myself that Eisuke would be angered by a no of any sort, I gave myself over to her care.  
Later, while Mika, Rin and Daichi were busy chatting and playing with Kaki, I mentioned my intimate problem to Shiori.  
"Oh dear!" Shiori whispered. "I forgot to tell you not to have sex for 24 hours after the wax. Please remember that for next time. I have a cream that I can give you for right now."  
"Okay, thanks," I said, flushing in embarrassment. I supposed it was better to let her think I'd been having sex with Eisuke instead of fooling with myself in the shower. My first worry off my mind, I called over to Daichi. "What is on my schedule for today?"  
"Well, the men are off on an outing for skeet shooting and a tour of a whiskey factory. There's a tea party for the women in the afternoon, but you aren't scheduled to attend. Not interested?"  
"Definitely not."  
"I don't blame you. The schedule that Soryu sent me has you hanging out in the penthouse until dinner, with a couple of lessons scheduled for the afternoon."  
"Lessons?"  
"Yes, one for English at 1:30, and the one at 3:00 just says Miyamoto. This evening you and Mr. Ichinomiya are having dinner with two couples at The Grande Hillier, and then going to an auction."  
"I'll take lessons over a tea party any day."  
Relaxing into the massage that Shiori was giving me, I wondered about the dinner and the auction. Two couples sounded much better than eight at least, but could the auction be Eisuke's Black Market Auction? The idea made me a little sick. I really did not want to be in that room ever again, but maybe it was something more like the silent auction that we'd attended the day before.

My second day hanging out in the penthouse was as boring as hell. I just wasn't used to having so much free time with nothing to do. I played with Kaki when she was awake, I watched tv on the enormous television in the first floor living room and I glanced outside at the pool every so often wishing that it wasn't prohibited.  
I didn't see any of the guys all day. Even Mamoru wasn't in his usual spot by the window. I felt bereft and lonely and lost and...so worried about Eisuke's opinion of me. Was he avoiding me? Ignoring me? Could he not forgive me for lying to him? Had he written me off? Maybe he would have me help with the Takahiro thing and then release me. The idea should have made me happy, but it didn't. I did want my freedom, but I didn't like the idea of leaving with Eisuke disappointed in me or even hating me.  
It wasn't like he was warm or affectionate - or even nice to me - but I felt some sort of connection to him and I didn't want to lose it. Even though I had to admit to myself that the connection was definitely one-sided. Just because he'd messed around with me a couple of times, there was no reason to think that Eisuke felt anything towards me. From what everyone had said, he didn't seem to form attachments with women. If models and actresses and renowned beauties couldn't sway him, then I certainly didn't have a chance in hell.  
My only respite from my boredom were the two classes that had been scheduled for me. The English lesson went well. My new tutor, Minami Gima, talked with me and gave me a couple of quick tests to get an idea of my writing and speaking abilities. Since my father was Canadian, my mother had always stressed the need for me to speak English well, if only for appearances sake. Minami seemed happy with my test results, saying that I had a good foundation to built on and we would focus on some business language and writing - as well as things that would be important for me to be able to communicate as a concierge. It was only then that I realized why the lesson had been arranged. It was so that I would do the best job possible in my new position.  
My second lesson was with a woman named Hatori Miyamoto who ended up being an expert in manners and etiquette. I guessed that this lesson was more for my role as Eisuke's girlfriend, but figured that it couldn't hurt for a concierge to have great manners. Hatori set the dining room table with a wide array of dishes and silverware and gave me my first lesson on advanced table manners. It took the entire hour to get through every little rule related to dining and I ended up having to take a ton of notes.

I talked with Hatori as she packed her set of dishes back up into a special case.  
"Will you be teaching me how to deal with gossips and difficult conversations?"  
"Yes, of course, but that will come later."  
"It might be a good idea to move the lesson up a bit, I could really use some help now."  
"That's no problem, can start adding a mini-lesson on conversing at the beginning of each lesson."  
"That sounds great."

As we walked to the elevator, I thought to myself how it was such a relief to think that I might be able to learn some skills that would help me navigate the difficult waters of interacting with the other girlfriends and to them wasn't like having a conversation with my friends at all: I had to be constantly on my guard because everyone seemed to have an ulterior motive. There was no telling how many pitfalls and traps the other women were setting up for me. I was so worried about saying something wrong, making some mistake that would reflect badly on Eisuke and make him mad at me.  
I'd expected my team to arrive soon after Hatori left to help me get ready for dinner, but instead a maid appeared and said, "Excuse me, Miss. I've been asked to inform you that plans for dinner have been cancelled. We'll serve you dinner in the dining room at six. Your team will now arrive at 7:30 and someone will pick you up for the auction at 8:45."  
I thanked the woman and watched her walk away, sighing sadly. It was probably a good thing, right? I wouldn't have to talk with the wives, I wouldn't have to go through all that stress - and I wouldn't risk screwing anything up. But I had several more boring hours to kill in the apartment...several more hours until I would be able to see Eisuke.  
I tried my best to fight off the feelings of loneliness, worry and depression that were building up inside of me. It was not a big deal to spend some time alone. I didn't really _want_ to go out to dinner with a bunch of strangers. I shouldn't _need_ to see Eisuke in order to feel okay. I was making too much of this, acting like a teenager. What was I going to do if he _was_ still mad at me? If he was even colder than usual? Just pout and cry all day? Acting this way was unacceptable, I had to push through it and get over it as soon as possible.  
I had dinner alone in the dining room and then took Kaki outside to play in the sun on the roof. I watched the sunlight shimmering on the little waves in the pool and thought of the things that Eisuke had done to me the other night. I wanted more, there was no denying that, but also, there was no telling what would happen in the future. Everything hinged upon Eisuke's whim, which was really why I was feeling so unsettled. I wanted to rely upon myself, I wanted to make my own decisions, I wanted to have my fair say about my own life, and none of those things were going to happen.  
Following Kaki around the outdoor area, I came across the hottub. It was set flush into the roof and had a wooden lid on top of it. I hadn't even noticed it when I was out there the other day. So this was where Eisuke had had sex with that Reina woman who was at dinner last night. I imagined the water bubbling beneath the wooden lid like a cauldron. Reina and more, probably. Actresses, models, beautiful and powerful women. It was no wonder he hadn't bothered to have sex with me. His hand _was_ preferable to an average woman like me.  
Every time he _had_ touched me it was to prove a point, to teach me a lesson. To show his ownership, his dominance over me. To keep me in line.  
" _You belong to me_." His words echoed through my mind, whispering hot and demanding. A strange chill went through me, a mixture of fear and disgust, thrill and desire.  
I abruptly turned to scoop Kaki up and hurry back into the penthouse. I didn't want to think about this anymore. There was no escaping it. No escaping _him_. No matter how much I thought about it, from every possible angle, I wanted him. I was his and the only thing for me to do was wait and see what his next move was.

I asked my team to dress me in black and arrange my hair and makeup in an understated style for the auction. If we were going to the Black Market Auction, and the lateness of the hour suggested that this was the case, I wanted to disappear in the darkness of the audience. Daichi gave me black slacks and a long sleeved black top to change into. It made me happy to cover up my skin, to feel like I was hiding myself away. It just felt right.  
When I walked my team out just after eight-thirty, Eisuke was standing in the living room. His mouth smirked and his eyes flicked over me.  
"Preparing for a funeral, Olivia?" he asked before turning his attention to Daichi. "Hokama, I want her in dresses and skirts. I want to see her legs."  
As I blinked in surprise at the order, Daichi replied to him. "Yes, Sir. Would you like me to change her now?"  
"No, this if fine for tonight. You are dismissed," Eisuke said with a small flick of his chin towards the front door. After I'd closed the door behind my team, I turned around to find that Eisuke had silently followed me and was standing near, staring at me.  
"Oh!" I jumped a little in shock when I saw him. "You scared me…"  
"It seems we have a problem. Someone touched my property," he said, his voice low.  
"What?" I squawked, my stomach turning over in misery. "What did I do? Whatever it is, I didn't know…" He stepped closer and I backed up until the front door stopped me from going any further. Steadily he stalked closer, placing a hand on the wall near my head and leaning his lips close to my ear. His warmth and his scent engulfed me, making me feel trapped in him. Fear and awareness shivered through my body as his free hand trailed down my arm and skimmed over my waist.  
"Have you been playing with my pussy?" he asked huskily, his fingers moving to press between my legs, and his voice was - ' _ugh'_ \- filled with threat and sexiness and a hint of humor that made me want to melt.  
But the embarrassment that his question caused made me want to disappear into the door behind me. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "That's…" I didn't even know what to say. Lie and say that it was disgusting? Get bold and say that it was my personal business?  
"I get multiple reports about you daily," he said, his voice still near my ear, still too tempting - even if his words were causing my spine to freeze. "From your fashion team and from others. I know what you've been doing."  
"Hey, we should get going." Soryu's voice came from behind us, shattering the bubble that Eisuke's presence had created, the one that made me forget everything else except for him.  
Smirking wickedly, Eisuke pushed himself away from me and turned to face Soryu.  
"You're right," he said, his voice completely normal as if he hadn't just been toying with me and embarrassing the hell out of me.  
I did my best to get my feelings under control. They were all over the place, as usual. It looked like things might be back to normal with Eisuke.  
"Here, put this on," Soryu instructed, handing me a beautiful masquerade mask that shimmered silver under the lights. When I looked at it, all that I could do was picture a sea of masks staring up at me, cold and emotionless.  
"Okay," I answered shakily. At least if it were on my face, I wouldn't have to look at it. I pulled it on and followed the two men out to the elevator. They'd both donned their own simple black masks. I kept my eyes averted, not wanting to see the masks at all.  
The elevator took us down to Basement Level Four and opened up into a lobby. Baba and Ota were there waiting to join us, both wearing masks although theirs were more elaborate than Eisuke and Soryu's. I did my best not to look at anything as we entered the Auction. Eisuke hadn't bothered to take my hand tonight - and I felt like I really needed it. I kept my eyes down and watched the men out of the corner of my eye as I followed them to our seats. I did not look up, reluctant to take in the sight of all of the people in their masks.  
An entire row of seats had been reserved for us. We filed in to sit down and I ended up with Eisuke and Soryu to my left and Baba and Ota to my right. I took a chance and peeked up, letting out a little sigh of relief. As long as I looked ahead, all that I could see were the backs of heads. The stage was unnerving but my view was a completely different perspective than when I had been standing on it. My anxiety level dropped a little, making it easier for me to breathe.  
"Must be weird being back here. Am I right?" Baba asked.  
"Yeah," I said. "But I think I'll be alright."  
The Auction started very quickly after that. The Mad Hatter came out and I had to work to calm the dread his presence caused to flare in me.  
"Why… Why is that guy like that?" I whispered to Baba, trying to distract myself.  
"It's just his thing," Baba said as if it were no big deal. "Everyone needs to be in disguise because of the black market thing. Hatter just likes doing things over the top."  
I nodded and went back to watching the Auction. The items up for bid were a strange mix of art, artifacts, jewelry, weapons, and some new designer drug. I figured that pretty much all of it had to have been stolen. After awhile, everything began to blend together. I grew bored of wondering if the ancient masks from Egypt had been stolen from a museum or what sort of person had owned the giant sapphire to begin with - or why anyone would need two dozen machine guns.  
Just as I thought I might drift off to sleep, a line of people filed onto the stage.  
"What's this?" I asked in surprise. "I thought that the auction didn't sell people?" I looked from Eisuke to Baba. Eisuke continued staring forward, not acknowledging me at all. Baba bent his head closer to explain what was going on.  
"Those people are selling their organs," he said.  
"What?!" I asked, horrified. "How can that be? Who would do that?"  
I turned to look accusingly at Eisuke, but he was pulling his phone from his pocket to answer it.  
"I went over the paperwork for some of these people," Baba said casually, as if he were talking about checking people into the hotel. "That man there in the green sweater? He's got a lot of gambling debt, so it's sell the kidney or face the music. That girl there is doing it because her grandfather borrowed a lot of money from loan sharks. He's too old to sell an organ himself, so it's up to her to bail him out. That guy in the blue, he's doing it completely voluntarily. He wants the money to start up a business."  
There was movement to my left and I looked over to see Eisuke and Soryu getting up and leaving. On the stage the Mad Hatter began doing a spiel about healthy organs. I felt like I was going to be sick.  
"Some of those people look absolutely terrified!" I hissed at Baba. "How is this okay?!"  
"For most of them, if they don't give up their organ then someone is going to die," he said seriously. "That girl doesn't sell her kidney, her grandfather is going to be killed. The people who do it of their own free will, like the guy in blue, it's his kidney, why shouldn't he sell it if he wants to? And doing it at the Auction is much safer than trying to arrange some sort of back alley deal. We've got a doctor on staff who makes sure that everything is copacetic and the people get paid a good price for their kidney. You try to find a way to sell your organs on the street and you're going to get shafted."  
"I don't want to see this," I said. "Take me out of here."  
"Alright," Baba said. "Let's see if we can find the Boss and Soryu."  
I walked with Baba out of the Auction, keeping my eyes down the entire time, avoiding looking at the people in their masks. As we approached the double doors, I could feel relief already washing over me. It felt like I was escaping from a nightmare. If I were very lucky, I would never have to be in the room again.  
When we stepped through the doors and back into the lobby, the first thing that I saw was Soryu walking towards us, a very serious expression on his face.  
"Take her upstairs," he said to Baba. "Eisuke and I are flying to Macau immediately."  
My lips fell open in surprise, and I blinked up at Soryu. They were leaving the country? Immediately?  
Soryu looked at me and said, "I'm going to try to make it back Sunday evening to prepare you for starting work with Kuroba on Monday. If that doesn't happen, we might have to delay your first day. Now, let's get going."  
I followed them to the elevator, my head spinning with this new development. Eisuke and Soryu were going to be gone for several days at least? "I'll have to stay locked in the penthouse, won't I?" I asked, thinking of the boring day that I had just spent.  
"There's really no getting around that," Soryu said. The elevator opened up on Eisuke's private parking garage. I could see him standing next to a car talking on his phone. He didn't even look in our direction.  
"Take care," Soryu said and stepped off of the elevator.  
"Goodbye!" I called after his retreating back. "Be careful!"  
The elevator doors closed and I sighed. I'd been missing them both for the past two days, now the time without them seemed to stretch on forever.  
"Don't worry, Kitten," Baba said. "I'll take care of you. When the cat's away, the mice will play."  
I looked at him skeptically. At this point I had no interest in doing something that Eisuke would not approve of. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass," I said.  
"Suit yourself, suit yourself," Baba said with a laugh. "You just let me know if you get too bored. Ota and I will come around to entertain you."  
He let me into the penthouse and then left in a hurry, obviously anxious to get up to whatever fun he was planning now that Eisuke was gone.  
I collected Kaki from a maid and went upstairs with a sigh. This was not going to be fun. Hopefully Soryu would be able to return on Sunday night. At this point returning to work would be more than just a semi-return to normalcy and a chance at a little independence - it would be a break from my imprisonment in the penthouse.

The next day, I did my best to entertain myself. Mamoru was in his usual spot for the majority of the day, so at least I didn't feel so alone, even if he did sleep for most of the time. He had lunch with me in the dining room and I took the opportunity to ask a few questions.  
"So, do you guys also live in the hotel? It seems like everyone is always around somewhere."  
"I have my own place, it wouldn't do for me to live in the hotel. But Soryu, Baba and Ota live in the penthouse. You didn't know that?"  
"No… I have noticed that Soryu seems to always be around."  
"They all have apartments in the penthouse. Ask them sometime, I'm sure they'll show you."  
"It's strange that I see Baba and Ota so rarely if they actually live here."  
"I think Ota does a lot of crashing with women. Eisuke can get a little pissed if he's dragging too many women through here. And Baba, who knows what Baba is doing half the time. There's really no telling."  
As I was laughing at that quip, Etsudo, the chef that I had met the other day, came in.  
"Excuse me, Miss Olivia," she began, and continued when I gave her a nod. "I have been told that you will be dining in the penthouse for the next few days. I thought you might like to take a look at these papers and select some meals that you would like to have prepared for you. Maybe check the ones you like and put a star next to the ones that are your favorites? It will help me to decide what to prepare each day."  
"Oh, thank you. That is a good idea," I said and accepted the stack of papers that she gave me. Sorting through them, I looked up at Baba. "Wow, there's a lot to choose from here."  
"Yeah, I suggest that you look for lasagna. That's always my favorite. Etsudo sends me a text to let me know when she's making lasagna," Mamoru said. "You should put two or three stars next to that one."  
"Okay," I said, scanning through the list of Italian foods. "I don't think I've ever had lasagna, but I will take your word for it."  
Mamoru helped me go through the list, suggesting that I request some things that I had never even heard of before.  
"That's the biggest benefit to working for Eisuke," he said. "There tends to be a lot of good food around."  
Later, I had my English and Etiquette lessons. Not having much to do made learning a lot more fun and I was sad when Hatori had left the penthouse, meaning I was once more alone. Mamoru had disappeared and I was left to spend the hours before and after dinner on my own.  
Kaki woke me up late that night, mewling insistently for attention. I scooped her up out of her box and brought her up onto the bed for some playing and snuggles. When I'd finished and she was ready to go back to sleep, I found myself wide awake and feeling a little hungry. I decided that it probably wouldn't hurt anything if I went to the kitchen and got myself a snack. For all I knew, there would be a chef on duty, ready to prepare me whatever I asked for.  
Descending the stairs to the first floor, I saw that there was a gathering in the living room. Baba, Ota and Mamoru were sitting around a table immersed in a card game - three women with them.  
"Olivia! There you are! Get down here!" Baba yelled, obviously a little drunk.  
I walked reluctantly over to where they sat. The women were all dressed to go clubbing, in very short flashy dresses and elaborate makeup. I was wearing purple polka dotted pajamas and had bedhead.  
"Do you know how to play poker?" Baba asked, his voice too loud. "You need to join us."  
"No, I don't," I answered. "I just came down to get something to eat."  
"Grab a plate and come and sit down," Mamoru said, waving me to a side table where food had been set up. "I'll teach you how to play. And don't worry, we won't play for money. We'll just play for fun."  
"Not play for money?" Baba complained as I walked over to the table and checked out the food. "That isn't any fun. Let's play with money, Eisuke will cover her losses."  
"No way am I agreeing to that," I said over my shoulder, putting a little sandwich and a couple of mini quiches on my plate.  
"Ah, you have no sense of adventure, Kitten," Baba complained. "Eisuke is an untamed, dangerous man who leads a wild life. You really need to break free of your bonds if you are going to keep up with him."  
I pictured Eisuke in his three piece suit constantly networking. His life didn't seem to be anything like what Baba was describing, but I'd only known him for a very short time. There was obviously a lot more to him than that. "Whatever," I said, taking the seat that Mamoru pulled up between himself and one of the women. "I won't be gambling Eisuke's money away."  
"Eisuke _is_ wild," the women next to me said dreamily. "You can tell just by looking at him. He always looks like he has so much going on inside."  
"I would think that would make him the opposite of wild," Mamoru pointed out. "Because he's keeping everything contained inside."  
"Yeah, but once-" ' _Oh my God, please do not let this woman tell a story about how good Eisuke is in bed!'_ "-he was at this club, The Nightcrawler, do you know it? And he just went like this with his hand," she flicked her hand in the air, "And bought everyone in the club drinks _for the rest of the night._ Let me tell you, it got crazy up in there that night. Everyone was going wild."  
"Probably everyone in the club except Eisuke," Mamoru said.  
The woman blinked, she obviously had no idea what had happened to Eisuke after he flicked his hand. "Still," she said. "That was really wild."  
Mamoru gave me a pointed look and I laughed as he reached for a deck of cards. He began teaching me how to play poker, going over the basics and then discussing some of the strategy. By the time the two of us had played a few quick hands to give me some practice, the rest of the table had descended into a boozy chaos.  
One of the women was straddling Ota and he had a smirk on his face as she whispered into his ear. Baba was talking to the woman sitting next to him in a low voice, his hand high up on her thigh. The third woman was looking around the table, obviously feeling left out and a little angry. She was giving me death glares.  
"Oh, I think I'm interrupting," I said quietly to Mamoru. "I should go back upstairs."  
Before he had a chance to reply, Ota and his girl stood up. "We're going back to my apartment," he announced. "We'll have to take a raincheck on the game." They walked away, disappearing down a hallway.  
"Why don't we go get in the hot tub?" Baba suggested.  
"Yes!" the woman who he'd been flirting with squealed. "That sounds like so much fun!"  
The third woman looked at Mamoru, sizing up her chances with him. "Not me," Mamoru said. "I was only here for the poker. I'm going home."  
"Join us in the hot tub," Baba said to the third woman, trying to be sexy and suggestive, but just coming off creepy.  
"Yeah, no thanks," she said. "I'm going home."  
"I'll walk you down to the taxi stand," Mamoru offered and started walking with her to the front door.  
"Alrighty then," Baba said looking over at me. "Kitten?"  
"God no," I said, shaking my head as I headed for the stairs to return to bed.  
There was no way in hell that I would ever get in that hot tub.

The next day started out the same as the one before. I presented myself to my team, who gave me light hair and makeup since I was just going to stay home all day. Daichi gave me a dress and I changed into it, but as soon as everyone left I went back to my salon and changed into some yoga pants and a top. That way Daichi was following through with Eisuke's orders and I was the one breaking them. Since he wasn't home, I didn't think it mattered if he could see my legs.  
Mamoru hadn't shown up by lunchtime, so I ate my meal alone - trying not to feel sorry for myself. It wasn't like I hadn't eaten alone many times before, but something about being trapped in the penthouse made everything worse.  
As I finished lunch, Baba and Ota rushed in, both of them looking very excited.  
"Olivia!" Baba cried. "We need your help."  
"With what?" I asked, looking between them.  
"With a job," Ota replied. "You're going to be absolutely perfect. Let's go to your hair and makeup room." Following them curiously to my salon, I watched as they began to search through my dresses.  
"This one's the best," Ota declared, holding up a very short dress that was splashed with color. "It's perfect."  
"You're right," Baba agreed. "What about shoes?"  
"These ones," Ota said, grabbing a pair of high heels.  
"But those don't go with that dress," I pointed out.  
"I know, I know," Ota said, handing me the dress and the shoes and pushing me behind the changing screen. "It's perfect like that. We need you to look a little cheap and trashy. Now hurry and change." I put the dress and the shoes on and stepped back out to nods of approval from the two men.  
"Come sit in the chair so I can do your hair and makeup," Ota directed and got to work as soon as I sat down, glueing cheap fake eyelashes on my eyes and applying too much eyeshadow and blush, as well as bright red lipstick.  
"You _are_ making me look trashy," I said accusingly. "Why do you know how to do makeup?"  
"Makeup is just another form of art. I am in charge of making all of the disguises for our projects. It's my specialty," Ota explained and then asked, "Does your head still hurt?"  
When I replied with "Not that much", Ota began working on my hair. He used bobby pins to hold my hair close to my head and then put a hair cap on, containing my hair thoroughly so that he could put a wig on me. He pulled the wig from the bag that he had been carrying and combed it out before he attached it to my head. The hair on the wig was very long. It looked like the kind of hair that was dyed too many times: kind of brassy, multicolored and dry. Who would buy a wig like that?  
Ota declared that he was finished with me, and I sat on the couch while he got to work on Baba. He did some contouring makeup on Baba's face, seeming to change the structure of his face entirely and then prepped Baba's hair and put a wig on his head.  
I laughed when I saw the results. "You don't look anything like yourself and you've got Mamoru's hair!"  
Baba laughed and came to sit with me on the couch while we watched Ota get to work on himself. I noticed that both men were dressed differently than usual. Baba was wearing some cheap gray slacks and a short sleeved white button up shirt. He looked like a very low level office worker at a small company. Ota was wearing very slim fitting jeans and a flashy t-shirt that had been intentionally shredded and showed a bright red shirt beneath it. He put on a shaggy wig that looked like black hair that had been dyed blonde and needed some touching up. He ended up looking like a young man who was trying very hard to be fashionable on a very low budget and with very little taste.  
Baba and I stood up and Ota gave us a final inspection. "This is it," Ota said. "We look perfect. Let's get to work."  
I followed them to the elevator and we went down to Eisuke's private parking garage. The men walked right past a row of expensive cars and chose on older nondescript four door car that wasn't in the best shape. I got in the back seat next to a large flat white box. "What's in this box?" I asked curiously as Ota drove the car out of the garage.  
"Daifuku," Baba replied, his voice full of excitement.  
"Why in the world would we need so many rice cakes?" I asked. "This box is _huge_. What are we doing anyway?"  
"So many questions," Ota said with a laugh.  
"We're doing a heist," Baba explained. "And you are going to help me with it. That's why we're in disguise."  
"A heist? Are you serious? Is that okay? What if we get caught? I don't want to go to jail!" I was suddenly freaking out.  
"Kitten, don't worry about anything," Baba said while Ota laughed beside him. "The police aren't going to come. In general, criminals don't call the police. This thing is planned perfectly. There is no danger at all. You just need to play your part for a little while and then it will be over."  
"Well, what is my part?" I asked, still feeling unsure.  
"You walk down a sidewalk, drop that box of daifuku at just the right spot, make a bit of a ruckus, and then pick up the daifuku and go on your way," Baba instructed.  
"Well, I guess that doesn't sound so bad," I said.  
"Think of it as fun," Ota suggested. "You get to dress up and pretend to be someone else for awhile."  
"Oh, that kinda sounds like my life already," I said with a laugh. "But I'll help you guys. I don't have a problem with that. It doesn't sound hard and you said it will be safe."  
Half an hour later, Ota dropped me off a block and a half from a small factory. "Remember, I'm going to drop Baba off on the other side of the factory and then circle back. I'll be nearby. If you need help, just yell," he instructed.  
We'd already driven by the factory and they'd pointed out exactly where they wanted me to drop the box of rice cakes. I sashayed down the block, trying to get into character and have fun. This was more fun that pretending to be Eisuke's girlfriend. I just had to act airheaded for a little while and then I'd be done.  
I'd crossed the street to the block with the factory and was about halfway to my drop point when the guard came out of the little guard shack at the entrance to the factory, just as Baba had said he would. He looked to be in his forties and seemed to be more muscular than a normal security guard. His dark hair was thinning. "He's a real lecher," Baba had explained. "The sort that likes to whistle at the girls as they go by."  
The guard smiled while he was watching me walk. I kept a small smile on my face and tried to pretend like the enormous box was not very heavy. As I approached my target point - the last little bush in a row of bushes planted in front of the factory's fence - I wobbled and lurched forward, screeching in surprise, ensuring that the box flipped open as it flew out of my hands. I caught myself before I fell to the sidewalk but the box crashed to the sidewalk, daifuku raining down and rolling in every direction.  
"Oh no!" I wailed. "My grandmother is going to kill me!"  
"Need some help?" the security guard asked, walking over to stand on the other side of the mess.  
"Oh yes, thanks! If it isn't too much trouble?" I answered and bent down to flip the bottom of the box over. I followed Baba and Ota's instructions and bent at the waist with my ass pointed at the guard. I wasn't very comfortable doing it, but I just kept telling myself that it was no big deal if some guy could see the backs of my thighs. If I were wearing a bathing suit on a beach, everyone there would be able to do the same. I was causing a distraction to help out the guys with their work - and I was sure that meant I must be helping Eisuke, too.  
"Do you think it would be okay if I just dust them off?" I asked the guard. "I mean the sidewalk is super clean and these cost a _ton_ of money."  
"Seems fine to me," the guard said, a creepy little glint in his eye. I guessed that was to be expected.  
I began picking up the rice cakes, dusting them off and carefully arranging them back in the box, while I kept chattering, bewailing my bad luck. I moved slowly and even though the guard was supposed to be helping me, he wasn't too quick, himself. Just as Ota had said he would, he was taking his time in order to keep watching me bend over.  
"Almost done," I finally said cheerfully and stepped over to pick up a couple of rice cakes that had landed between the last two bushes.  
Suddenly, out of nowhere, hands landed on my hips and roughly pushed me further into the bushes. As I gave a little cry and struggled to maintain my balance, a hand grabbed the back of my dress, fisting into the fabric and pushing my back down so that I couldn't move. I tried to stand up or twist away, but the guard was just too strong. Even as I fought to escape, his other hand came up and forced its way between my legs.  
I'd let out a few screeches when he grabbed me, but after that I mostly focused on trying to escape. When I felt his hand between my legs, I started screaming in earnest. First, just from fright, and then I remembered that Ota was nearby, waiting to help me if I needed it and I just kept on screaming.  
The man's hand was a ruthless predator. I squirmed, trying to avoid his hard fingers, but it was impossible. In moments he had pushed my panties to the side and was trying to force his way up inside of me. Endlessly screaming, I clenched the muscles in my sex, trying to prevent the man's fingers from entering me, but my efforts were useless. I felt two fingers enter me, painfully, careless and brutal.  
Not knowing what else to do, I raised one of my feet and kicked back at him, but this just caused me to pitch forward and fall. My head hit the chain link fence that surrounded the factory, the metal digging into my scalp and scraping as the man followed me down. I don't know whether my falling caught him off balance and he fell with me, or if he just decided that he wasn't going to let go of his prize, but he made sure that his fingers stayed where he'd put them.  
I was folded up in a strange position, my neck bent at an odd angle because my head was pushed into the fence and my ass in the air since I had come down on my knees with my head on the ground. The man came down on top of me, kneeling with a leg across my calves to prevent me from moving. And then his fingers began moving inside of me.  
I was still screaming as best as I could with my face in the dirt, tears streaming from my eyes. Seconds were stretching out into minutes and I was internally praying for Ota to come and save me. I was trapped and the only thing that I could do was scream with horror.  
The guard suddenly pitched to the side and I heard a voice yell, "Get off my girlfriend!"  
The guard was off of me and I pushed myself up out of the dirt as quickly as I could. Ota was there, in his funny clothes and wig, very angry or at least pretending to be and I moved to stand behind him. He was also pretending to be very effeminate, his voice shrill and whiny as he yelled at the guard.  
"What are you doing touching my girlfriend?! You disgusting creep!" Ota yelled, jumping around a little with those little hops that guys sometimes do when they're getting ready to fight.  
The guard laughed out loud in response. "And what are you going to do about it you little shit? Shouldn't you already be running away?"  
"I'm not running away! You touched my _girl_!" Ota shouted in that funny high-pitched voice.  
I reached up to wipe tears and dirt from my face and saw Baba sprint lightly through the gate of the factory and head up the sidewalk, quick and quiet. He'd finished his job then.  
The guard was laughing at Ota, egging him on. "You should be thanking me for giving your girl a taste of what a real man is like. There's no way a fruit like you is satisfying her, that's why she's waving her ass all over the neighborhood like a bitch in heat."  
Ota made an angry noise and ran at the guard, throwing a very pathetic punch that the guard just leaned back to avoid. He stuck out a hand and pushed Ota away. "Come on," the guard said. "You've got to give me more than that. You've got to make it worth my time to put in the effort you little cocksucker."  
"No!" I yelled at Ota, knowing that Baba was out and it was safe for us to leave. Grabbing Ota's arm, I yelled, "Don't fight that man! Let's just leave!"  
He turned and looked at me, giving me a wink before grabbing my hand and pulling me along, back the way I had originally walked from. Behind us, I could hear the guard yelling, asking if I wanted to come back and get the daifuku.  
At the corner, Ota crossed the street to the right instead of running straight to the place where he had dropped me off. I could see the car, parked just a short distance away where a building blocked it from being seen by the guard. Baba was already in the driver's seat, the engine running. He must have run around the block after leaving the factory.  
Ota and I got into the car and Baba hit the gas immediately, making a u-turn so that we didn't even drive within sight of the guard. I tried to wipe the dirt and tears off my face, shocked and horrified by what had happened.  
"Are you okay, Olivia?" Ota asked from the front seat. "The guard knocked her down," he said to Baba. "I think he was trying to cop a feel."  
' _Knocked me down?_ ' I thought, my stomach turning. Neither of them knew what had really happened and there was no way that I could tell them. "I'm okay," I said, not wanting to answer anymore questions. "Just...shaken up."  
Baba began talking about what had happened inside the factory. As we drove back to the hotel the two men seriously analyzed each of Baba's movements and how effective they had been. I noticed that Baba kept looking at me through the rearview mirror and Ota kept glancing over his shoulder. I forced myself to calm down and relax, doing my best to look normal so that they would leave me alone.  
Back at the penthouse, I went immediately upstairs to take a shower, trying to wash the memory of the guard's hands off of my skin. It was no use, of course. If you could wash away bad memories, I would have already forgotten so many things. But you have to live with them, they never go away.  
My vagina was tender and there was some blood where the guard's fingernails must have cut me. Feeling the damage that my body had suffered made me want to close down. I ended up sitting on the shower floor and crying, feeling so alone and trapped in the penthouse where there was no one for me to talk to about what had happened to me.  
When I finally pulled myself from the shower, my robe was down in my salon and it was too early for my pajamas to have been delivered. I pulled one of Eisuke's dress shirts from his closet and buttoned myself into it, taking what little comfort from it that I could.  
The maid that usually watched Kaki for me must have been busy, because the kitten was in her box, mewling desperately at me to get her out. I picked her up and climbed into the big bed, cuddling her and trying to sooth myself with her warm fur.  
"I'm okay," I told her, looking down into her innocent eyes. "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm safe and back at the penthouse. Women go through much worse than this every day. Every. Single. Day. If they can get through worse, I can get through this."  
It was just one more thing to get through, in a list of things that felt was growing too long. I was growing tired. I was losing strength. I didn't want to have to keep pulling myself out of the abyss. I wanted things to start getting easy.  
Gently, I put Kaki back in her box and buried myself in the soft blankets on the bed. It was so big and I was lost and lonely and afraid. I pulled Eisuke's pillow towards myself, turning it so that it lay down the front of my body and hugging it. His scent was on the pillow, a spicy, warm smell that I associated with strength. I breathed it in, trying to imagine that he was holding me, comforting me. But he had never done anything like that before. It seemed impossible to even imagine it.

 _I sat on the floor of the room, deep in the dark basement, where the table linens were stored. It was cold and dim and there were rice cakes lying on the floor all around me. I was supposed to pick them up, but I hadn't and the doorknob was turning. Fear stabbed through me like a knife, paralyzing me, I couldn't move or run or scream. The door opened and three men came in, their faces dark, enraged and sinister. Hiro, and the other man who had sold me in the auction, and the guard. They stared down at me, coming towards me and I couldn't even move to try to get away. I was frozen with fear, trapped in a horror-filled rigor mortis.  
_ _The guard held up the hand that had been inside of me, it was covered with blood. "I'm going to get that bitch again. She isn't going to get away from me this time. This time I can play with her as long as I want."  
_ " _Yes," Hiro said. "She broke my statue. Let's play with her until we get bored and then kill her."  
_ _The other man held up a fantastically long needle, it looked to be ten inches long, and said, "I'm going to play all night."  
_ _They'd been walking endlessly towards me across the room, but they finally closed in, blocking everything else out but their hate-filled faces and their evil intentions. My mouth was open impossibly wide, and I was screaming and screaming inside, but no sound would come out. I would not be able to even put up a fight. They were going to do whatever they wished with me, and there was nothing that I could do to stop them.  
_ _Hiro reached down and fisted his hand into my hair, pulling me slowly up towards them._

I came awake, screaming into the dark room until my mind kicked in and I realized where I was. Sitting up, I clutched at the blankets and took deep gasping breaths, trying to calm down as tears fell unchecked from my eyes.  
A knock sounded on the bedroom door and I looked at it with shock and fear. Who could that be?  
"Miss?" an unfamiliar man's voice called. "Is everything okay in there?"  
"Yes," I called, my voice croaking and breaking. I cleared my throat and yelled again, "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry about that."  
"If you need anything, Miss, just come downstairs," the voice said.  
I waited for awhile, making sure that the man had walked away from the door before I got up and turned on every light in the room, even the ones in the bathroom and the closets. Then I locked the door, something that I had never thought to do before. I was supposed to be safe here. This was Eisuke's home and it was supposed to be secure, but I didn't feel safe in it anymore.  
Picking up the kitten, since, of course she was crying for attention, I got back into the bed, staring hollowly at everything around me.  
I was afraid and I was trapped. Afraid and trapped.

The next morning I refused breakfast and sent my team away.  
"Are you sick?" Mika asked. "Do you need a doctor?"  
"No," I said. "I just want to be left alone."  
I put on a track suit and wrapped my robe around myself. I sat in my salon for a while, just wanting to hide, but I couldn't get my mind to stop reliving the assaults by the guard and the men in the basement. Scenes kept playing through my mind as I tried to list every way that I could have prevented them from happening. I had been so stupid, so many times. I'd put myself into danger and suffered the consequences.  
Going out into the living room, I blinked at the sunlight that was pouring through the windows. It had a strange cast, a different feel and appearance than usual. The warmth of the light seemed especially far from me, as if it were being withheld to punish me for my stupidity.  
"There you are, Miss," a maid said, crossing the room with a cordless phone in her hand. "There is a phone call for you from Mr. Soryu."

When I answered the phone, Soryu got right to the point. "You were screaming last night. Why?"  
"Oh, I had a nightmare," I said, trying to be casual, but I couldn't keep the horror out of my voice.  
"Do you normally have nightmares and scream in your sleep?" he asked. "There is nothing about that in your file for the employee dorm."  
"I...something happened," I whispered.  
"Tell me."  
"Okay. Let me go into my salon," I said, reminding myself that I had to tell the truth to Eisuke, which meant telling the truth to Soryu, no matter how difficult. And Soryu was my friend, my confidant in this penthouse world. As I sat down on the couch, I pictured him sitting awkwardly on the other side, ready to listen.  
I told him what had happened, crying and shivering, my voice breaking. He asked a lot of questions, gathering all of the details. I knew that he would be reporting everything to Eisuke.  
"I'm sorry," I said. "I just didn't think. And I know that I shouldn't be so upset. I'm trying to get myself under control."  
"You have been through two very traumatic events in the space of a week, Olivia," Soryu said. "You have every right to your feelings. I am sorry that you have been put into these situations, both times because of poor decisions by Baba and Ota. You haven't eaten since lunch yesterday?"  
"Oh, I guess not."  
"Please try to eat, even if you aren't feeling like it. Not taking care of your body will just make you feel worse. The chef is making you some okayu. Is Mamoru there?" he asked.  
"No, I haven't seen him since Thursday," I replied.  
"I'll send him over if he's free. You shouldn't be alone. And the man who knocked on your door last night was a security guard. There are at least two in the penthouse at all times. You're safe in the penthouse, do not doubt that," he said.  
"Okay, thank you for letting me know," I said.  
"I won't be able to leave Macau until tomorrow, but I will be back tomorrow evening. Take care of yourself. If you need anything, just ask one of the staff. They can call me at any time," Soryu said before hanging up.

I ate the okayu when the maid called me to the dining room, just as Soryu had asked. Mamoru arrived soon after that. Instead of taking up his normal position by the window, he sat on a chair across from me and suggested that we practice playing poker.  
"We try to get together and play one night every week," he explained. "Usually there aren't any club crawlers there, it's just use four guys. You should be ready to play if Eisuke ever asks you to join us. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened."  
"What? Eisuke put me into a situation in which I'm uncomfortable and ill-prepared? Never," I joked, trying to act like my normal self, but my voice came out weak.  
"I've asked Etsudo to make lasagna for dinner tonight and I brought some movies for us to watch. We'll have some fun. I'm going to spend the night, so it will be like a pajama party. I even bought some pajamas," Mamoru said.  
"You're spending the night? But you don't have to do that," I said.  
"Well, you don't really say no to the boss," Mamoru said with a wink. "But I would be happy to stay, even if it wasn't an order. I don't want you feeling scared. You just think about where you want me to crash. Down here, on a couch upstairs, Soryu even said that I can throw a futon on the floor at the end of your bed if that's what you would prefer. Whatever makes you feel safe."  
"Okay, thanks. I'll think about it and let's try to have fun. That will help me keep my mind off of things," I said.  
"I might be risking everything by divulging secrets, but Eisuke has a thing for video games. There's a closet full of consoles and games. We can play whatever you'd like, if you're interested," he said with a laugh.  
"That would have been good to know days ago. It's so boring to be stuck in this penthouse all day," I said. "And it's funny to think of Eisuke playing video games. He's usually all business."  
He laughed. "I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure that sometimes when Eisuke seems to be working on his laptop, he's actually gaming. He's sneaky, though. I haven't been able to gather any evidence."  
"I'll keep an eye out for you," I said with a laugh as I arranged my chips and accepted the cards that he dealt to me. "It would be really funny if we could catch him in the act."

A few hours later the doorbell rang and Mamoru led an older woman into the apartment.  
"Olivia," he said. "I'd like you to meet Ran Nitta. She's a therapist. She's here to talk to you."  
I was not sure how I felt about talking to a therapist - I'd been fairly successful at pushing things to the back of my mind and focusing on hanging out with Mamoru. But it was for my own good, I didn't want to have any more nightmares. And it had probably been ordered by Eisuke. In the end there wasn't any saying no. "Okay. Why don't we go to my salon."  
"I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything," Ran explained once we had sat down. "I work for Mr. Ichinomiya. I've been briefed about what's going on. You don't need to worry about hiding anything from me because it is supposed to be a secret."  
"I see," I said, thinking back to what Eisuke had said about receiving reports about me. "And you'll be reporting what I say to Eisuke?"  
She sighed. "That's a little complicated. I will be giving him a report, and if he asks specific questions, it is my duty to answer them. But he has always been fine with me asking not to answer certain questions because it was in the best interest of my client. So, if there's anything that you don't want him to know, you just tell me. I'll tell him to just ask you himself."  
I nodded, realizing that it didn't matter anyway. I was supposed to answer him truthfully at all times. What was there that could be hidden?

I talked to Ran for almost two hours. She asked a lot of questions, not just about the incident with the guard, but about the auction and my mother's death and being homeless. She explained that she wanted to know about history and all of my trauma, because it would be best if she helped me to work through everything. At the end of the session, she looked at me very seriously and said, "I want you to understand that what happened with the guard is considered rape, Olivia. I can see that you are trying to minimize and normalize it by telling yourself that women go through worse. While that is true, it doesn't make what happened to you okay. Let's work on acknowledging your feelings and processing them, rather than trying to suppress them. I'll be coming to talk to you three times a week for a while and after that we'll drop down to two times."

As Mamoru and I walked her out, so that he could scan his black card into the elevator for her, she said as her parting words: "I'll bring a couple of books that I think you should read. You've got some things to work through, but you have a positive attitude. I'm sure you'll make good progress."  
I looked over at Mamoru with a wry smile after the elevator closed. "Working as an assistant concierge, English and etiquette lessons, therapy and pretending to be Eisuke's girlfriend. I'm going to be really busy. It might not be long until I'm wishing that I was locked in the penthouse with nothing to do."  
"Ha," he said. "I know exactly what you mean. There's nothing better than hanging out in the penthouse with nothing to do. It's the perfect place for a meal and a nap."

Eisuke's Mental Notes 7/21/18:

 _...Baba and Ota have used Olivia without my permission, placing her into a dangerous situation and failing to protect her when necessary. Sanctions implemented are removal from penthouse, limiting of privileges, and a probationary period that is to include extreme sensitivity training. Their juvenile behavior has long since grown tedious, it cannot be allowed to impact my property or goals. They have lost my trust. It remains to be seen if they can regain it..._


	7. Changes

_Author's Note: I never make notes for my stories on ffn because there isn't an official place for it. On AO3, there are warnings about the fact that I've only read Eisuke's MS, I am using the MS as a jumping off point for my story, I am not trying to be true or accurate to the characters or the original work. If you've gotten this far, you've probably already figured that out :). However, I've still gotten some complaints about where I took Baba and Ota's characters in chapter 6. I am doing different things with their characters, they are who I need them to be to make my version work._

 _However, I can tone them down. And I made some mistakes in chapter 6. I didn't explain the scene well enough, and that laid more blame on Baba and Ota than they deserved. I also intend for them to explain their points of view at a later chapter. I've gone back and made some changes to the guard scene in chapter 6. If you don't feel like reading the scene changes, I'm going to go over them here as well as some insight into Baba and Ota's POV. Some of the following is a spoiler for a later chapter, so skip it if you want!_

 _Baba is basically completely innocent in all of this. He was in the factory stealing stuff. He couldn't hear or see Olivia. He has no idea that something happened. I changed the chap 6 scene so that Olivia sits up in the back seat rather than lying down. She also pulls herself together when they ask if she's okay. She doesn't want to tell them what happened. She's too freaked out, it's an intimate subject and she doesn't know the two of them very well._

 _Ota was positioned kind of far from the event. The factory took up the entire block, so he had to be a little far away to find a place to hide. He was also on the phone when she started screaming. Due to the distance and the phonecall, he didn't hear her screaming right away. Olivia was also hidden my bushes. I didn't make this clear enough in my original version of the scene. In my rewrite, I have the guard push her further into the bushes to let the reader know that she is hidden from view. Ota can't see what's happening to her. He didn't ignore her, his just didn't assume the worst. He assumed that she was okay because she said she was okay._

 _Baba and Ota assumed that Olivia would not be in danger during the heist. They didn't think that something like that could happen in broad daylight. And unless you live in a dangerous country, most people would assume that a young woman would not be in that much danger on a city street during the day._

 _-Cass_

Mamoru and I spent the earlier part of Sunday being couch potatoes. We even stayed in our pajamas. He called and had a bunch of unhealthy snacks sent up, so we munched on chips and candy while playing video games for hours.  
I was so grateful to Mamoru for spending time with me. He really helped to keep my mind off of my worries and kept me entertained. I'd asked him to sleep on the futon at the end of the bed during the night - in the end I had felt like I wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise. He'd been nice about it, acting like we were having a slumber party, although he made it very clear that he was not going to get involved in a pillow fight.  
This was a chance to get to know him better, one I enjoyed. At times he would be a little talkative, but it seemed like it never took long for him to lapse back into a glum silence.

"You're going easy on me!" I cried out with a laugh as I won a race in a video game. "There is no way you suck this bad at this game."  
"Hey, I'm here to be nice to you. It wouldn't help at all if I kicked your ass in every game. You'd end up in a deep depression," he said, putting his controller down to light a cigarette.  
"I can't really be happy about winning if I know that you are letting me win," I explained.  
"That may be true, but you are pretty bad at this. Do you ever play video games?" he asked.  
"Not really. They seem like a waste of money."  
"Don't even say something like that to Eisuke. You'll get an hour long lecture on the benefits of video games," he said with a laugh. "And don't ever play with him. He will not go easy on you. He will crush you, make fun of you and then make little comments about your inadequacy for at least two months."  
I laughed as I reached for a bag of chips. "It sounds like you're speaking from personal experience."  
"Unfortunately. Maybe the next time your therapist comes, I'll take a turn myself," he said.  
I laughed at his joke, but couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't do him some good to talk to Ran. He definitely seemed a little depressed or...something.

I'd asked for my fashion team to come at 4:00 to change me into a dress and do my hair and makeup. I wasn't sure what time Soryu would be back, but it seemed likely that he would report to Eisuke that I'd stayed in my pajamas all day if that's the way he found me. The pajamas might also give him the impression that I was not trying to move forward - and that was certainly not the case.  
I wasn't comfortable wearing a dress, though. It made me feel exposed and vulnerable. Less safe. I had to keep reminding myself that I was okay, that I had been dressing like this all the time. Even when I was working as a housemaid my uniform had been a dress. It wasn't a big deal, it was normal. It was not asking for trouble.  
After dinner, Mamoru and I played poker until Soryu arrived, but when the front door finally opened both Eisuke and Soryu walked in. I froze. I hadn't expected Eisuke. I hadn't mentally prepared myself. I began trembling. He'd been staring at me from the moment that he walked in the door. He came to stand in front of me, his eyes were dark and angry, searching mine as if he could read all of my secrets. I held my breath until his eyes slid away. He flicked his chin - a signal that must have been meant for Mamoru because the two of them disappeared upstairs.

"Oh God," I breathed, covering my face with my hands, my trembling turning to shaking. I'd suddenly remembered what he had said the day that he left: " _Someone touched my property."_ Had I purposefully not remembered that? How could I have done that? I needed to prepare, to gather my strength, to be ready to face him. I'd pushed him to the back of my mind, and that had been a big mistake.  
"Olivia," Soryu said gently, taking my arms and pulling my hands from my face. "Does he scare you that much?"  
I stared up at him mutely for a moment, trying to get my thoughts together. "No. Not usually, but is he super mad at me? He looks really mad."  
"He is very angry about what happened, but he is not mad at you. Not at all. Do you understand?" he asked. When I nodded, he said, "Good. Let's take care of this concierge thing."

We sat down and Soryu pulled out his phone where he must have made some notes and began reading off a list of rules.  
"Stay in the hotel or on hotel grounds at all times. It should not be necessary for you to leave the hotel as part of your job. If it does come up, you will have to have permission first."  
"But won't that be suspicious? If I suddenly have to ask permission to go somewhere?"  
"No. You will also need to watch out for the media. Kuroba has been informed of this and told that you should not leave the grounds for that reason."  
"The media?"  
"Eisuke and his female companions are photographed by paparazzi all the time. Of course there is an intense interest in you from gossip magazines. Do not answer questions or talk to anyone that you are unfamiliar with. You never know when someone might be a plant trying to get a story. Stay on script with your coworkers, but don't give them any unnecessary information. All employees have been instructed not to speak to the media, but it is always possible that someone will be more interested in making some quick cash or getting attention than following rules or keeping their job."  
"I never thought about paparazzi. I guess I'll have to stay on my guard in more ways than one," I said thoughtfully.  
"Do your best to make note of all of Kuroba's behaviors. Even if they seem meaningless to you, they may mean something to Eisuke. You should be prepared to be debriefed at the end of each day. After a couple of days, you'll get used to the sort of questions that we ask and you'll get better at gathering information for us."

"The story is that you want to work, you're bored in the penthouse. Eisuke wants to spoil you, so he is giving in to your request. It's a temporary arrangement, to test the female concierge training program so that a true program can be built that will start in November. Kuroba has been selected because he's doing a great job as concierge and because you're already familiar with him." Soryu explained.  
"Temporary? Does that mean that I won't really be able to work?" I asked, feeling confused and disappointed.  
"It's a complicated issue, Olivia. Eisuke travels internationally, he's not going to leave you here to work when he leaves the country. And I think even Eisuke doesn't know what he is going to do with you in the long run. I'm just going to be honest. Letting you go is problematic. You already know enough to be a threat to our operations, and the more you are with us, the greater that danger becomes."  
My mind reeled with shock.  
"We will never be able to fully release you and we will not release you in Japan. You will have to remain an employee within the Ichinomiya Group or in Eisuke's underground business. I think that you will be most comfortable working at one of the Tres Spades hotels, so training as a concierge is a very good idea. The hotel that we're building in Toronto will be completed at the beginning of next year. In my mind that is the best place for you. You've already got Canadian citizenship. Your English is at a good place to be improved. It seems to be a perfect fit. But if there is somewhere else that you'd like to go, just let me know," he said.  
I couldn't believe it. "That's the plan? To just dump me in a foreign country? I'll never be able to return to Japan?"  
"As of now, nothing is settled. I'm just thinking of preliminary plans in order to be prepared for when the time comes. Eisuke could decide he's finished with you next week or ten years from now. At this point," Soryu shook his head as if he were mystified himself, "there's just no guessing what he'll do. I have to be ready for any eventuality. And we won't be dropping you off anywhere. You will be provided with a home and a job and The Ichinomiya Group will ensure that you are taken care of, probably for the rest of your life."  
"This is not real. This _can't_ be real! You guys are really going to take away my life no matter what happens! Even if I'm good and do everything that you ask! This is so not fair!" I wanted to draw my legs up onto the couch and put my head on my knees, to hide my face and cry in frustration, but I couldn't even do that because I was wearing a short dress. _Per Eisuke's orders._ I just wanted to scream.

"Olivia."  
Looking up, I saw Eisuke crossing the room toward us. My heart shivered. I was vaguely aware of Mamoru giving me a little wave goodbye before heading for the front door, but mostly all that I could see was Eisuke's relentless eyes watching me. I stood up, but my thoughts scattered.  
"Come upstairs with me."  
"I still need a couple of minutes," Soryu said. He seemed far away. Eisuke gave him a nod. He opened his briefcase and began pulling out items. "Here's your keycard. It's programmed with all of the standard concierge permissions, plus the penthouse and its elevator. You must be careful not to allow this to fall into someone else's hands. If you ever discover that it is missing, do not bother looking for it. Call me immediately so that I can turn it off, then look for it.  
This is your cell phone for work. It is set up to only call hotel numbers, the penthouse, Eisuke, Mamoru and myself. I also programmed Ran Nitta's number into it, in case you ever feel like you need to speak to her. And this," he handed me a small black device, it was about one inch square and had a button on it, "is a tracking device. It will allow us to know where you are at all times. If you are ever in danger, just press the button and someone will be there to help you right away."  
"Thank you," I said, accepting the things from him. I'd barely been able to listen to the things that he'd said. All of my attention was being pulled towards Eisuke as he stood silently watching us. He gave a nod and turned away. I followed him upstairs, my mind blank. I didn't even want to think about what he might say to me.

Upstairs in the living room, I sat Kaki down on the floor and was subjected to another onslaught of Eisuke's eyes. "Oh my God!" I cried, covering my face, unable to control myself. "I don't want to do this."  
"What is it that you don't want to do?" he asked. His voice was calm and slightly curious. I slowly dropped my hands from my face and said, "I don't want to be yelled at or lectured. I don't want to do anything hard. I just need something to be easy."  
"I'm trying to make your life easy, Olivia. I'm going to take care of you. Whether you are with me or I send you away. You've just got to stop fighting it."  
Taking a deep breath, I tried to process what he was saying. "But it's so hard," I said. "How can I just to let things happen to me instead of being in charge of my own life? What would you do if you were in a situation like this? Could you just go wherever someone pointed you and do whatever you were told?"  
"I will always do exactly what I have to do to succeed," he said, as if that answered everything.

I took a deep breath and tried to pull myself together. I _knew_ that things weren't so bad. I _knew_ that things could be worse, but that knowledge didn't make the things that I was struggling with less difficult to handle. It was my habit to pull myself up and move on, but faced with so many setbacks, that habit was becoming harder and harder to maintain. And the future looked grim. I wasn't going to be keeping my job, I was only going to be allowed to work for a short time - until it was no longer convenient for Eisuke. When he grew tired of me, they were going to send me out of the country. I'd be all alone in a foreign land. Far away from Japan and the culture that I was familiar with. Far away from Eisuke.  
I knew that there wasn't any choice. I knew that I had fallen into a trap and there was only one way out. I was struggling and complaining because I didn't like the road to freedom, when freedom was the only thing that I claimed to want - the only thing that I could allow myself to want - because I couldn't ask or expect or want to stay with him. That would only lead to heartbreak. My only choice was to keep doing what I had always done: struggle through.  
"I'll try. I'll try to stop fighting and just make the best of things. It'll help that I get to work for awhile. Things will feel a little more normal," I said, speaking more to myself than him, trying to bolster my courage and make a plan that I could follow through with. He watched me quietly for a handful of endless seconds, his eyes not as aggressive as usual. Awareness tightened my heart and interfered with my breathing.  
"Tell your cat to stop attacking me."  
I tore my eyes from his and scanned the floor. Kaki was behind one of his feet, reared up on her hind legs, repeatedly swatting at his pant leg with fast fierce smacks. "Oh!" Scurrying over I scooped her up and cuddled her to my chest. She twisted in my hands, determined to keep her eyes on Eisuke. "I'll put her in her box."

Into the bedroom I went and placed her in the box, admonishing her quietly. "No more attacking. That's the boss." I looked at the sides of the container. How long would it be before she was able to jump out of it? "You'd better stop or you'll have to be locked in a cage when you get bigger."  
Turning around, I gave a start and gasped. Eisuke had followed me silently into the room and was standing so close that my heart jumped into my throat. He stepped forward and closed a hand on my upper arm to hold me in place, tilting my chin up with his other hand. I caught a brief flash of his gleaming eyes as his mouth descended to take mine.  
His kiss was...careful, studied, patiently exploring. My heart had contracted as his head dipped lower, anticipating the typical savage onslaught of his mouth but as his lips worked their way over mine, softly caressing, I felt the tension leave my heart and my body. With a sigh, I opened my mouth to him, encouraging him to enter when before he had always demanded entry.  
His tongue worked gently over mine, his movements slow and measured. When I tentatively responded with a stroke of my own tongue, his tongue retreated, drawing me into his mouth. I gasped and broke our kiss, tipping my head back to look into his eyes. I was met with his usual stare and a raised eyebrow. He was inviting me to do as I wished.  
Returning to his mouth, I pushed forward with my tongue, I went up on tiptoe, pressing closer, seeking his heat, breathing in the scent of him, raising my hand to brush over his soft cheek, my thumb swirling over the contours of his ear before my fingers buried themselves in his hair. Moaning into his mouth, I stroked my tongue over his, feeling him, tasting him, trying to draw his essence into me while he opened himself to me and allowed me to do as I wished. I was so happy to feel him like this that I was almost tearful. I was being given a gift, the chance to learn his body - to learn _him._ Free from the overwhelming passion that he usually poured into me, I could maintain some self-control and focus on what _I_ wanted to do.

Placing his hands on my hips, he steadied me as I pulled back, slipping my tongue out of his mouth to lick and nibble at his lips, sighing with pleasure and happiness and contentment. Desire was building in me - slow, deep and strong - rousing and warming my skin as my body began to ache for more of his. I tipped back, detangling my fingers from his hair and sliding my hand down his neck to his chest. I used both hands to rub over the layers of fabric that separated me from his skin.  
I looked up at him. His eyes were watching me, of course, and he gave me a slow flick of his chin, granting me permission, spurring me on. I began the exacting task of opening him like a package, undoing button after button as I removed his blazer and his vest before beginning on his lavender shirt. I'd hoped to be met with skin that I could taste and touch as I unbuttoned that final row, but I discovered a white undershirt adding another layer of protection to his chest.  
With a moan of frustration, I removed his cufflinks and pushed his shirt off his shoulders and to the floor before tugging his undershirt from the waistband of his pants and pushing it up over his abs. His hands moved to take over, pulling his shirt off and revealing his upper body to my eyes and hands. I traced my fingertips over the lines of his chest, brushing lightly over his nipples and pecs, gliding over his firm abs, drawing a line down to his belly button and circling it playfully.  
"Olivia," he whispered, and I looked up to meet his smoldering eyes. "Take your dress off."  
"Yes." I took a step back and reached for the hem of my dress, pausing as a thought struck me. I looked up at him, meeting his eyes boldly. "Get on the bed."  
He smirked, his expression a blend of humor and approval. "May I take my pants off first?"  
"Yes."

I watched as he removed his belt, shoes, socks and pants, before he lay down on the bed wearing only a pair of boxers and looked up at me with a cocked eyebrow. I responded with a little smirk, curling my upper lip as I tossed my dress over my head, removed my bra and crawled onto the bed and over his body, a knee between his thighs, my hands on either side of his chest. On all fours, not touching him anywhere, just the heat from his body was enough to make me shiver, my nipples tightening and tingling. I looked into his ever-observant eyes, they were filled with a restrained burn. They emboldened me, pushing me forward.  
I dipped my head to lick over his nipple, the taste of him twisting low in my belly, the smell of his skin winding through my mind. As I licked and sucked on his nipples, my fingers questing over his hard stomach and shoulders, his hands moved up to skim lightly over my sides and back, telling me how much pressure and pain he liked, rewarding me by tugging me closer and pressing himself into my mouth when I got something especially right.  
I trailed a path of kisses up his strong neck - drawn back to his mouth - to nip and suck at his lips and invade his mouth with my tongue. Enjoying the feel and the taste of him I celebrated my freedom to do as I wished, as his hand moved down to my ass to trace over the edges of my thong. I lifted my mouth from his to sigh and arch my back like a cat and allow the pleasure of his touch to course through me.  
"Olivia."

I looked down to see his eyes blazing, full of need, _asking permission_. With a smile of satisfaction, I took his hand and placed it on my breast, sinking into his embrace as he wrapped his free arm around me and pulled me close. My body stretched along his, skin pressing to skin damply, and I relished the feel of him against my thighs as our legs tangled together.  
His lips returned to mine, but he continued to restrain himself, drawing passion out of me, rather than drowning me in the force of his own desire. I clung to him, tangling my fingers in his hair and writhing against him. I was hot and he was warm, tenderly caressing his hands over my body, massaging my breasts and slowly pinching and tugging at my nipples until I was moaning and pressing against him, begging wordlessly for more.  
He gently rolled us over and separated from me to kneel between my legs, his hands caressing my inner thighs. Reaching the thin fabric of my thong, he traced up along the edge of it. Slowly, holding my gaze, he pulled the flimsy underwear down, off of me, leaving me bare under his eyes. Starting from my ankles, he carefully studied every curve of my legs making his way back up, as if memorizing each shape, until I had drawn up my knees and spread myself wide open for him. I watched his hand as he moved to draw his fingers over the bare flesh of my pussy. I may have enjoyed the feel of touching my own waxed skin, but the sight and sensation of Eisuke touching me was infinitely more intense. He explored my folds thoroughly, touching me with great care, softly swirling his thumb through my slick heat.  
He slowly pushed two fingers into me and everything came crashing down around me. I'd forgotten myself, I'd forgotten everything, but suddenly all that I could see was dirt beneath my face as the guard moved his fingers inside of me. I gave a little scream and kicked my way up the bed, away from Eisuke's hand. I ended up sitting on a pillow, shaking and looking around in panic for some unknown escape route.  
"Olivia," Eisuke said, moving closer to me, putting his hand out to stroke my hair. "It's okay. It's me. I'm not going to hurt you."  
I watched him warily as he searched my eyes and then moved to pull me close to him. He quietly made _shh_ noises in my ear and stroked his hand over my back, hugging me close to him. It took a little while, but I felt myself relax into the comfort that he was offering. I turned into his hug, pressing myself closer, putting my arms around him and burying my face in his neck. It had been far too long since I had had a real hug from someone. Years. It felt so good to be so close to him. He was strong and I felt protected in his arms.  
He held me tightly for some time, his hand stroking gently up and down my back, before it began to wander to other parts of my body. It slid warmly over my hip and down my leg and back up again, up my side and to my shoulder, where it pushed me back a little, separating me from his chest so that it could get in and rub over my breast.  
"Eisuke, I-"  
"Let me," he said. "I want to comfort you."  
He lay me back down on the bed and began to softly massage my breasts. I didn't know what to do. I needed comfort, I craved comfort, even though this felt wrong. And he wanted it. It was easier to try to give it to him, to let him take it, than it would be to fight him. If I turned down his offer of comfort, he might never extend it again. My mind may have been confused, but my body knew Eisuke's touch. The passion that had gone to sleep flared back to life when he bent his head and began licking my breasts.  
I threaded my fingers through his hair and arched into him, holding his mouth to me as his lips and tongue played with my nipple. My thoughts and my fears faded away, replaced by the desire that he was always able to arouse in me, like a master with a puppet. Soon I was moaning and bucking against him, my body begging for more. Just like he'd wanted. He moved down to kneel between my legs once again.  
"Look at me," he said. "Open your eyes and look at me. This is _me_ inside of you."

His eyes locked on mine, he slowly pushed two fingers up inside of me, watching for my reaction. Holding his gaze, I breathed deeply in an attempt to maintain control as my body adjusted to the invasion of his fingers and then tightened around him. It hurt a little - I was still tender inside - and my mind was threatening to burst into panic, but he kept staring into my eyes. He made me focus on him, he would not release my gaze and I felt the fear fading in the wake of his stare. There was only room for him.  
Reading every nuance of my expressions, he knew exactly when I had relaxed and was ready to accept him. He bent his fingers and moved them slowly inside of me, testing my reaction. Closing my eyes and tipping my head back, I moaned loudly, writhing and pushing myself into his hand, allowing my self-control to slip away as all of my attention focused on the movement of his hand.  
His thumb moved to rub my clit while his fingers worked inside of me and I began shrieking endlessly, everything disappearing except Eisuke and the feeling that he was building inside of me. At one point, I became mindful of my screaming and grabbed the pillow next to me to cover my face and drown out the sound. Eisuke quickly ripped the pillow from my hands and threw it off the bed, putting more pressure on my clit as if to ensure that I was lost to his touch.  
My legs began shaking as I approached my climax and he reached up with his free hand to pinch a nipple, sending me over the edge. The walls of my pussy spasmed around his fingers as all of the tension in my body collected and released. My screams turned to gasps as the orgasm left me and he moved up next to me, pulling me close and holding me, dropping several kisses on my forehead.

I lay stunned, unable to understand or believe what was happening. He was holding me tenderly, his hand stroking over me. Is that what this whole thing had been about? From the beginning? I thought of the restraint that he had used, the gentle touches, building me up without overwhelming me with his own desire. And - I bit my lip as the thought occurred to me - he had only used his hand. Could he have been trying to replace the memory of what the guard had done to me? Was this his way of caring for me after the difficult event? My mind stuck on the idea, not knowing what to do with it. The idea was so incomprehensible that I could not accept it, even as he held me in his arms, his hand caressing lightly over my skin.  
"I'm growing uncomfortable."  
I nodded against his chest. This was the Eisuke that I knew. If he had meant to comfort me, it was an aberration of his true nature. It was just something that he had _done_ , with purposeful intention, a step towards a goal. Just like the things that he had done in the past to prove his ownership and keep me in line.  
He released me and I watched as he stood up next to the bed and pulled off his boxers. His cock was standing tall and hard. He moved back onto the bed, his eyes on me. Is this what he had meant by uncomfortable? Not that he was uncomfortable holding me, but that he still needed release? He was moving to kneel next to me and I sat up reflexively, my hand reaching for him. He stopped me just as he had before, but this time his hand took my wrist and he held it instead of flicking it away. His eyes delved into mine.

After a moment, he lay back on the bed, his hands gently guiding me and I moved between his legs, a nervous anticipation beginning to fill me. Something more unbelievable, something more impossible. I reached to take him in my hand, learning his hardness and the silky smoothness of his skin, circling my thumb gently over the underside of his head.  
His hands urged me forward and I bent to lick my tongue over the tip of his cock, hearing his sigh of satisfaction as I began running my tongue down the length of his shaft, caressing him with my fingers and my mouth. I breathed in his scent and absorbed his taste, memorizing it along with the feel of him under my tongue and fingertips. His fingers tangled in my hair, tugging gently, urging me on, speaking silently of his need for me to bring him to his climax.  
Obeying, I took him into my mouth, fisted my hand around his shaft and began working diligently to pleasure him, swirling my tongue and rocking him back and forth in my mouth before plunging down on him again and again. I let his fingers in my hair and his low moans guide me, pushing him quickly towards his orgasm.  
His fingers twisted into my hair and held me still as he released himself into my mouth, his seed bursting over my tongue, sweet and salty. I swallowed him down - I had waited too long to have him in my mouth to do anything else.  
Releasing him, I sat up, watching him as he lay on the bed panting a little, not knowing what I was supposed to do. His hand came up, caught my arm and pulled me towards him. I fell partially across his chest and he held me there in a gentle hug for a few minutes.

"You have work in the morning. You should get ready for bed."  
I nodded, taking it as a dismissal. Retreating into the bathroom, I took a quick shower. Washing the scent of him from my skin, I wondered the whole time what was going on. If this were a normal relationship I could just talk to him, but I knew there was no sense asking him questions. He did what he did, for his own reasons. I remembered Mamoru telling me not to try to guess at his intentions. It seemed like the best advice.  
After brushing my teeth and drying my hair, I stepped out of the bathroom, unconcerned about my nakedness. I was sure that Eisuke had already left the room and even if he hadn't, he'd seen everything there was to see. I went to get my pajamas from the top of the dresser, when he spoke from the bed - startling me so much that I jumped. "Don't put those on."  
I turned to look at him. He was lying in the bed, his hair slightly damp. He must have showered in another room and then gotten back in the bed. After a few moments of trying to wrap my brain around what was happening, I walked over to the bed and climbed in. Eisuke reached to flip the switch that turned off the lights and then settled back into the bed. He reached for me, pulling me against him, positioning me so that I was snuggled up against his side, my cheek on his chest, his arm around me.  
Almost paralyzed with shock, I slowly moved my arm so that it lay on his chest. It felt as if the entire world had flipped upside down and I didn't understand a single bit of it.

Eisuke's Mental Notes 7/22/2018:

 _...Olivia is proving to be too enticing. She is distracting me from my intentions and I have allowed it. It will be an interesting idyll to indulge her for a time. She is convenient and it is a novel experience to focus only on our pleasure, without a greater goal in mind…_

"Wake up."  
I opened my eyes to see Eisuke's face above me and the memories of what happened the previous night washed over me, filling me with uncertainty and confusion.  
"It's time to get ready for work," he said. "Let's take a shower."  
'Let's _take a shower_ '? I thought as I crawled out of bed and trailed after him into the bathroom, not quite knowing what to do with myself and _certainly_ not knowing what to think. All that I could do was follow his lead and try not to stare at his naked body as we stepped into the shower and began washing ourselves. ' _This is like being at a bathhouse,'_ I told myself. Only it was a coed bathhouse with a man that I had been intimate with the night before. But it seemed like we were just sharing the shower - was Eisuke interested in conserving water? But he had showered separately the night before…  
I reminded myself that Mamoru had warned me that guessing at Eisuke's intentions was a slippery slope. ' _Just shower_ ,' I told myself, trying to hurry to complete the job. As I rinsed conditioner from my hair, I realized that Eisuke was just standing there waiting for me to finish. When I stepped from under the spray of the water, looking up at him questioningly, he stepped close and took my face in his hands, dropping his mouth to mine for a kiss.  
A typical Eisuke kiss. A burning hot, demanding everything from me from the first moment kiss. In moments I went from feeling awkward and uncertain to aroused and focused entirely on the feel of him. My body responded to him as if it had been programmed to do so, every cell jumping to attention and begging for more of him. I wrapped my arms around him and lowered a hand to smooth over his firm ass, whimpering into his mouth, pressing myself against him, wanting to feel and know nothing but him.  
His mouth left mine, dropping a few kisses here and there as his lips trailed down my body, his hands pushing me back against the tile wall as he knelt before me. He raised one of my legs and hooked it over his shoulder, his tongue finding the folds of my pussy without hesitation. My body quaked as his tongue lapped over my clit, not quite prepared for the intense stimulation. Moaning, I tangled the fingers of one hand into his hair and with the other tried to find purchase on the wall, doing my best to steady myself.  
Sliding two fingers into me, he immediately began a fast rhythm of plunges as he continued to work his tongue fiercely on my clit, relentlessly pushing my body faster and further than it was ready to go. His free hand came up to rest on my stomach, bracing me against the wall as my body quaked under his touch and I began screaming with pleasure. With his mouth and fingers working on me aggressively, it felt as if he tore the orgasm from me when I came.  
Gasping in breaths that sounded more like sobs, I tried to bring my twitching body under control as he stood up and looked down at me, he eyes hooded. "Clean yourself up and go to your team. They're waiting for you," he said. I forced my malfunctioning body under the spray of the water and quickly washed between my legs, glancing quickly at him before leaving the shower and stepping into the bathroom.  
I was rattled and confused as I quickly dried off, donned my robe and fled downstairs to my team. I felt as if I needed to escape him, to put some distance between us so that I could gather my thoughts. ' _He's just having fun doing sex things with me_ ,' I told myself as I hurried down the stairs. ' _There is no reason to read anything more into this than it appears to be at face value. Just enjoy it for what it is and then move on or you will drive yourself crazy_.'  
When I arrived in my salon I was greeted with awkward smiles and no one quite wanted to meet my eyes. It dawned on me that I had just been screaming like a banshee upstairs. ' _Damn that man!'_ He knew exactly what he was doing, and he'd gotten me so befuddled that I hadn't even been thinking about propriety. There was nothing to do but power ahead, I couldn't run and hide in a closet just because everyone had some idea of what had been going on upstairs.  
Mika, Rin and Daichi dressed me for work in my new women's concierge uniform. It was similar to the suit that Takahiro and the other concierges always wore, a dark gray three piece suit with a light gray vest. The women's version had a pencil skirt with a slit in the back and a blue scarf instead of a tie. I stood in front of the mirror admiring my new suit and the chignon that Mika had put my hair into. My team had made me look very professional, and it made me feel excited about my first day of training. With Eisuke clouding my thoughts, I'd forgotten to be either excited or nervous.  
My three team members were having a heated discussion about a pair of fashion glasses that Daichi wanted me to wear.  
"They make her look sharp, smart and professional," Daichi insisted. "People will take her more seriously if she wears them."  
"It's just strange to wear glasses if you don't actually need them," Mika argued. "They're not a typical accessory. It's almost like a lie. I'm against them."  
"A lie?" Rin laughed. "That's like saying wearing makeup is a lie. It's just another way to enhance your appearance. I vote for them. I think she looks nice."  
The three looked at me to get my opinion. "I think I like them," I said. "They kind of make me feel like I'm getting into a new mode and a little bit like armor, too."  
"It's settled then," Daichi said triumphantly.  
I walked them to the elevator and then went to the dining room where I found both Eisuke and Soryu seated at the table eating breakfast.  
"Good morning," Soryu said. "You look all set to go. Do you have the things that I gave you?"  
"Yes," I answered, patting my pockets. "I've got everything on me."  
"Where did you get those glasses?" Eisuke asked.  
"From Daichi. They're fashion glasses, not prescription. He thought they made me look more professional," I explained.  
"Wear them to bed tonight," he said, as casually as if he were telling me to pass the salt. Setting the coffee that I had been carrying to my mouth back down on the table, I stared at my plate, my thoughts scattering and my cheeks flushing.  
Soryu cleared his throat and said, "I have a question for you, Olivia."  
I looked up at him, grateful for the change of subject and reached for my coffee. "There have been some changes in the casino and we find ourselves in need of two new agents for the underground side of things. Your friend Sakiko has just received a promotion and could be a good choice. What are your thoughts."  
"I don't understand. She'd be working for the underground side of things? I'm not sure Sakiko would do anything criminal," I said, feeling concerned for my friend.  
"As an agent in the casino, she would mostly be listening to conversations and reporting what she hears. At times she may be part of an operation, but even that would be very controlled and in the casino itself. She wouldn't be put into danger," he explained.  
"What are the benefits of her being an agent?" I asked.  
"Increased pay and once she joins the underground side of things, we'll make sure that she's taken care of. She'll be more important to the organization and will likely receive promotions more quickly because of that."  
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask," I said hesitantly. "She can make her own decisions."  
"Olivia," Eisuke said. "Soryu has talked to you about the importance of staying on script and avoiding talking to anyone who may be associated with the media?" When I nodded, he continued. "I'll be cheating on you starting today, so a story needs to be prepared for that. The easiest thing to say is that you're fine with an open relationship. If anyone asks you, let them know that you don't think it's a big deal and shut them down from asking additional questions."  
I blinked at him, completely shocked. "You're going to cheat on me and you want me to let anyone who asks know that I don't care?"  
"Exactly," he said and continued to eat his breakfast as if he hadn't said something that should have qualified him as insane.  
"I'm finished," I said, pushing my plate away from me and looking at Soryu. "I'm ready to go downstairs now."  
When we stood waiting for the elevator, Soryu sighed and said, "It's how he does things. He dates women for the advantages that they have to offer, whether that be a connection, information or some sort of status play. He doesn't take his relationships seriously. In his mind, they're just a part of his job, a way to achieve a goal."  
"It doesn't matter anyway, since we aren't actually dating," I said. "He isn't really cheating on me."  
"Well, _something's_ going on," he said.  
"If I knew what it was, I'd tell you," I said. "Let's stop talking about this. I want to forget about everything upstairs in the penthouse and focus on work."  
"If you say so," Soryu said. "But if you need to talk later, just let me know."  
"Thanks, Soryu. You're a good bestie."

Takehiro was waiting for us in his small office. He greeted us with a smile and shook Soryu's hand. "She doesn't need an introduction, so just make sure you take good care of her," Soryu said and reminded me to call if I needed anything on his way out.  
"Well," Takahiro said. "This was a pleasant surprise. I get an assistant and I get to work with one of my favorite employees. There isn't a ton of room in here, but I had them put a little desk over here for you. We'll just have to be careful not to crash our chairs into each other."  
"This looks great. I'm really happy to work with you and I can't wait to start learning to be a concierge. And I wanted to ask, would you prefer that I start calling you Mr. Kuroba?"  
"No, don't worry about it. Takahiro is fine. We're just going to be getting closer if we work together all the time," he said with another smile. "It's funny, actually. I'd been planning on asking you out - I was just taking a little time so that we could get to know each other a little better - and then I heard that you were dating Ichinomiya. I guess taking my time wasn't the right strategy."  
"Oh," I said, surprised and a little uncomfortable. "I hadn't even realized. It's flattering of you to say that."  
"You're flattered, and my heart is broken," he said, his tone lightly joking. "But there's no fighting fate, right?"  
"Right," I laughed with him even though I still felt uncomfortable. Was this something that I was going to have to tell Eisuke? Would he let me keep working with Takahiro if he thought Takahiro might flirt with me? But then again, why would he even care? He was going to start dating someone else, maybe I would be allowed the same freedom. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. There was no way that Eisuke was going to let anyone else touch me.  
"Let's start with morning rounds," Takahiro said and led me out of the office. "We'll start by checking in at the front desk and doing a rundown of all the special check-ins for the day."  
"Sounds great," I said, a notepad and pen in hand. "I'm ready to learn everything as quickly as I can."

"Olivia!" Sakiko called as soon as I finished paying for my lunch in the employee cafeteria and turned to look for a table. "I'm over here!"  
"It is so good to see you," I told Sakiko with a happy sigh as I took a seat at the table where she was sitting with another young woman. "I've missed you so much!"  
"Me too," she said and then complained with a dramatic pout. "I got a new roommate at the dorm and she is nowhere near as fun as you are. She keeps borrowing my stuff and not giving it back _and_ she doesn't like Pumped 4.2!"  
I laughed. "Heaven forbid! At least you don't have to worry about her stealing your fantasy husband. Yasu is all yours."  
"Who's talking about fantasy husbands? You totally snagged Mr. Ichinomiya! You have a real life fantasy boyfriend!" she squealed. "What's it like?"  
"It's kind of like being a princess," I said, knowing that this was the story that she needed. "I have a team of people who do my hair, makeup and clothes and Eisuke even had a room renovated into a salon for me. It's pretty amazing - and crazy!"  
"Wow! Are you serious? I always knew that Mr. Ichinomiya would be a great boyfriend. I mean, I know he has a reputation for going through women like water, but it's obviously different when he falls in love for real," she said with a romantic sigh.  
I couldn't help laughing at her. "Yeah, but enough about me. I heard that you got a promotion!"  
"Yes! I am now a croupier instead of just an assistant. I'm working at the baccarat table and it is so much more fun than roulette. And, oh! I almost forgot, this is my assistant Kita Oshiro," Sakiko said, finally introducing me to the woman sitting next to her.  
After I'd greeted Kita, Sakiko asked me for my new phone number. "Oh no!" I said, patting my empty pocket. "My cell phone was digging into me, so I took it out of my pocket and put it on my desk. These pockets are in exactly the wrong place for a phone, and I don't have my new number memorized yet."  
"Be sure to bring it to lunch tomorrow. It would be nice to at least be able to text you, even though I know that you are probably really busy with Mr. Ichinomiya," she said with a laugh.  
I smiled and focused on my lunch. I wondered if Soryu would let me exchange phone numbers with Sakiko. What could it hurt? If I could talk to her at work, why couldn't I talk to her on the phone? And Soryu was even thinking of bringing her into Eisuke's underground operation. If he was thinking of doing that, certainly I should be able to give her my number.  
A thought suddenly occurred to me and I flicked a suspicious glance at Kita, my stomach sinking a little. She was a new employee. What if she was someone from the media? I'd just told them about my fashion team and salon...that wasn't too bad, right? Was it the sort of thing that a magazine would want to print? Would Eisuke be angry if other people knew?  
I was also struck by another suspicion. Eisuke had people working as agents in the casino. What if Kita was one of them? What if she was there to watch me and report what I was saying to Eisuke? I remembered him telling me that he got reports about me all the time. There was no reason to think it would be any different when I was working in the hotel. In fact, it would make sense if I were being watched even more closely to ensure that I didn't make any false moves.  
I suddenly felt uncomfortable in the busy cafeteria with people all around me. I hadn't thought about it before - I'd just been so happy to see Sakiko - but everyone was casting glances at me. Everyone was curious and looking for gossip, even if they weren't planning on sharing it with a magazine. I was suddenly intensely self-conscious and very happy to get back to the little office as soon as possible.

_*_*_*_*_

I'd spent the morning making rounds with Takahiro and meeting many of the people that it would be important for me to know. After lunch he had me get on the computer and familiarize myself with the digital forms that concierges were expected to complete daily as well as some of the rules and standards for the job. He was in and out of the office for the next hour or so while I focused on taking notes.  
"Hey, how's it going?" he asked as he stepped back into the office. "Almost finished?"  
"I think I have about three-quarters of it completed," I said. "I may be going overboard with my notes, but I don't want to forget anything."  
"That's the best way to do things," he said with a reassuring smile. "I'm going to send a few emails and then I want to take you down to the front desk so you can learn the check-in process. Whatever you haven't finished by then you can just save for tomorrow."  
I agreed and got back to work, trying to go a little faster to accomplish as much as possible by the time he had finished his tasks. About ten minutes later he got a phone call and turned to me to say, "Looks like plans have changed. There's a disturbance over in the employee dorm. This is perfect."  
"A disturbance? What?"  
He laughed as he led me out of the office. "It's the dorm manager's day off and two of the women living in the dorm are having some kind of argument about a guy. I didn't take the time to get too many details. It's a great opportunity for you to learn to handle a dispute. As a concierge, you'll have to deal with employees and guests who are angry. You'll have to arbitrate disputes and work to solve problems so that everyone feels happy with the results. You'll learn all about it in training, but there's really nothing like doing it for real."  
"Wow," I said with a nervous laugh. "I didn't even think about that side of the job. A concierge really does have endless responsibilities." I pulled my keycard out as we reached the entrance to the tunnel that lead from the hotel basement to the employee dorm and scanned it to open the doors.  
Takahiro moved to hold the door open for me, and then reached out and grabbed my hand, knocking the black card from my fingers. "What?" I said, confused, but he just grabbed my arm with his other hand and pulled me into the tunnel, letting the door fall closed.  
"What are you doing?!" I asked, confused and a little angry. "You made me drop my card." I stepped forward to open the door and get my card back.  
"Wait, come on," he said, pulling me back to face him. His voice serious and his eyes more intense that I'd ever seen them. "You're wasting time. We have to get you out of here."


	8. Turmoil

"Wait, come on," Takahiro said, pulling me back to face him. His voice serious and his eyes more intense that I'd ever seen them. "You're wasting time. I'm going to get you out of here."  
"What are you talking about?" I asked, instinctively taking a step back from him.  
"I know what really happened," he said. "I know Ichinomiya bought you in some auction. Come with me. I want to help you escape. _I can get you out of here_."  
I stared up at him, completely shocked. There were too many questions racing through my mind, but I knew one thing for sure: I wasn't going anywhere with him. "You've got things all wrong. You don't need to rescue me. Let's get back to the office." I turned to go back into the hotel basement, only to find that the doors wouldn't open.  
"I told you that you're wasting time." This time his voice held a threat and I turned around to look at him, fear creeping up my spine. "You're coming with me. _Right now_."  
"No, I won't!" Every muscle in my body tensed as I prepared myself to fight with all of my might. I _would not_ just let him take me away. I was going to fight tooth and nail.  
It didn't matter. He was bigger than me, and fighting him just pissed him off. I didn't give up, but I paid like hell for it. He grabbed me and pulled me down the long tunnel, and I tried my best to escape the entire time - hitting him, kicking him, trying to twist and tear myself out of his grasp - none of it worked. He just kept punching and kicking me as he dragged me to the doors that lead into the employee dorm.  
By the time we reached the other set of doors I was limping, my face was swelling, blood was dripping out of my mouth and quite a bit of my hair was on the floor of the tunnel. But at least I had tried my best. I settled down as we came to the doors, pretending that I was growing docile and giving up. The little black tracking device that Soryu had given me was in my pocket, but I knew that it probably wouldn't do any good to try to use it in the tunnel. Cell phones were never able to get a signal in there, there was no way the tiny device would. I was waiting to use it when it would have a better chance of being effective.

When Takahiro pulled me through the doors, I noticed that a construction barricade had been set up on the other side. Had Takahiro closed the tunnel so that there wouldn't be any employees in it? He lead me past the barricade and turned to the left, taking the stairs up to the employee parking lot instead of going into the dorm.  
As soon as we got to the first floor I put my hand in my pocket and mashed on the button a dozen times. ' _Please, please, please_ ,' I prayed silently. ' _Someone please get this signal!_ '  
At that time of the afternoon the employee parking lot was empty of people. There was no reason for anyone to be out there because it was so far away from a shift change. Even the little guard shack that sat at the entrance was empty. The parking spaces nearest the entrance to the dorm were all assigned to higher level employees. Takahiro lead me down the second row of cars and stopped at the passenger door of a silver car, he twisted a fist into my hair and took a good grip, then reached into his pocket to press the button to unlock the doors with his free hand. I took a few deep breaths, I _was not_ getting into that car. I was going to fight with everything I had in me. I had already promised myself that the only way he would get me in that car was to drag me in there unconscious or dead.  
As he moved to open the door, I attacked while he was distracted and only had one hand on me. Stomping on his foot, punching at him and trying to tear myself out of his grasp all at the same time. It didn't work. He flung the door open and rounded on me, his hand still fisted tightly in my hair, punching at my face again and again. I put my hands up and managed to block most of the blows from hitting my face.  
"Hey!" I heard someone yell, and looked over to see a security guard at the edge of the parking lot, beginning to run toward us.  
Takahiro didn't waste any time. He jumped into the passenger seat of the car and dragged me in after him with such force that my kicking and screaming just didn't matter. It took him just a moment to climb behind the wheel, depress the brake and push the button to start the car. He started driving as soon as the car was on. My legs were still half hanging out of the car and his hand was still fisted in my hair. As the car door hit the car next to us, the door swung painfully into my legs with a crash. I screamed and pulled my legs into the car, attempting to right myself in the seat. The door was swung wide open by the momentum of the car after bouncing off my legs, it hit another car and came crashing shut as Takahiro drove at breakneck speed out of the parking lot.

Once the door was closed, he let go of my hair. I sat up and immediately bent forward to throw up onto the floor of the car. There was just too much blood in my mouth. That and the fear and stress were making me feel ill. Takahiro didn't say a word, acting as if I wasn't even there. I sat back up and surreptitiously put my hand in my pocket and pushed the button on the device once. If it worked, someone should already be tracking me. I didn't want Takahiro to realize that it was in my pocket, but I couldn't resist pushing that button one more time.  
Then I assessed my situation. We had left the hotel behind and were on the highway headed towards the city. There was no way that I could jump out of the car. We were going too fast and I would get hit by another car. I remembered Eisuke's words the night that I had been sold at the auction: "Like writing 'They sold me in an auction' or 'help me' in blood on a wall?"  
I sat up straighter in my seat and used blood from my mouth to write the characters for help on the window, low in the right corner so that my body would block Takahiro from seeing it. I waited for Takahiro to pass a car in the right lane. Finally, we drove alongside a white car, a man was sitting behind the steering wheel. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he saw the writing on the window. ' _Please, please help me!_ ' I thought, too afraid to turn my head to look at the car. I raised my hand slowly and pressed my fingers at the lower edge of the window near the characters.  
The car dropped back a little and I watched the man in the side mirror. He pulled out his phone and started talking on it. I prayed with everything in me that he was calling the police. When he dropped back even further, still on the phone, I thought that he must be looking at the license plates on the car, giving the number to the police. A few moments later the man pulled back alongside Takahiro's car, but I kept my eyes trained ahead, where I could see a traffic light shining in the distance.  
' _This is my chance_ ,' I thought. ' _I'll jump out of the car when he stops for this light. Even if it doesn't turn red when we get to it, there_ will be _another one_.'

As we approached the light, it turned yellow and I tensed up, ready to make a move as soon as I had the chance. But Takahiro wasn't that stupid. As the car began to decelerate, his hand reached out and twisted into my hair, holding me tightly as we came to a stop.  
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the white car angling near. The driver edged the nose of his car into the space between the front of Takahiro's car and the car in ahead of us.  
"Fuck," Takahiro said under his breath, looking over at the window and seeing what I had written there. "What did you do? I was just going to let you go once we were far enough away from the hotel. I don't think I'm going to do that anymore."  
As the white car edged in, Takahiro pulled his car away from it, ready to go around it as soon as the light turned green. But the guy in the white car was intent on stopping Takahiro. I couldn't see his face, but he was not stopping his car. As Takahiro continued to move his car to the left, the other driver punched on his accelerator and rammed into Takahiro's car, knocking it over so that it hit an SUV to our left. The car in front of us pulled forward as far as he could to get away from the chaos, allowing the white car to move further in front of us, wedging Takahiro's car in.  
The owner of the SUV jumped out and ran around to see what was going on and the guy in the white car got out of his car and started pounding on the hood of Takahiro's car. With a disgusted sound, Takahiro flung me away from him. I opened the car door as quickly as I could and got out, limping over to the rear of the white car and leaning against it.  
"Grab that guy!"  
I looked over to see the driver of the white car and a couple of other men closing in on Takahiro and taking hold of him. In the distance the sound of police sirens could be heard. A woman ran up to me saying, "Oh no! Are you okay? What happened?"  
"She's my wife!" Takahiro was yelling. "She was in an accident! I'm taking her to the hospital!"  
I turned to look straight at him. "He's my boss and he kidnapped me! Don't let him go!"  
"Bitch!" Takahiro shouted at me. "It doesn't matter anyway! He's dead! I just used you for the keycard! It doesn't matter if I go to jail as long as Ichinomiya's dead!"  
I thought about the keycard that he had knocked out of my hands. He'd just left it on the floor. Someone else must have picked it up. Someone who wanted to hurt Eisuke had gotten the key to the penthouse. I felt my legs giving out beneath me and the road slowly came up to meet me as I sank down onto it. I had fought so hard to save myself but Eisuke had been the one in danger the whole time.  
"No, no, no," I moaned. "It isn't true. It can't be true…"

_*_*_*_*_

The police arrived and things began to happen very fast. They asked me a few questions, but as soon as they knew that it was an assault and kidnapping, they put me in an ambulance and a police officer escorted me to the hospital.  
"He said that someone killed my boyfriend!" I yelled at the officer as the ambulance made its way to the hospital. "Someone has to check on my boyfriend!"  
"Okay, Miss, okay. You've already said that. We're taking care of it right now," the officer spoke calmly, trying to get me to lower my voice and focus on him. "I'll let you know what they find out as soon as I can. Right now, why don't you try to relax? We'll be at the hospital soon."

I'd only been lying on a bed in the emergency department of the hospital for a few minutes when a man in a suit arrive and said, "I'll be taking over this case, officer."  
The officer gave a nod and the man in the suit looked at me and said, "I know this isn't the best time, but I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."  
"Where?" I asked. "I'm not going anywhere with you. Who are you?"  
He gave a little grimace, pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. After a moment he handed the phone to me.  
"Olivia? This is Mamoru," the voice on the phone said.  
"How do I know it's really you?" I asked.  
"Because we're the only ones that know that Eisuke secretly plays video games instead of working," he said, his voice serious. "I need you to go with Lieutenant Miyoshi. He's taking you to Eisuke."  
"He's alive?" I asked, hope filling me.  
"Yes, he's alive. Now go with Miyoshi."  
I looked up at Lt. Miyoshi and gave him a little nod as I handed the phone back to him. He was going to take me to Eisuke and nothing else mattered. I followed him outside to a police car. After we got in, he started the car and turned on the siren, driving at high speed toward the outskirts of the city.  
"Where are we going?" I asked, when it became obvious that we weren't going to the hotel.  
"To the airport," he said.  
I didn't ask any more questions. I knew that he wouldn't have any answers. Maybe Eisuke needed to get out of the city because someone had tried to kill him. Leaving seemed like the best way to hide until the murderer could be caught.

When we finally arrived at the airport a woman in a business suit met the car on the sidewalk and Lt. Miyoshi drove away as soon as I stepped out of the car.  
"Let's get you inside," the woman said, not bothering to identify herself. "Mr. Ichinomiya is waiting. I've got your passport here. We'll be going through security privately, so there won't be any wait."  
As we walked through the airport, almost everyone I passed either stared at me or quickly averted their eyes. I must have looked like I'd been in a car accident. I hadn't even bothered to look at my reflection in the police car's mirror. I didn't care what I looked like. I didn't care how many people stared. I only wanted to get to Eisuke and see with my own eyes that he was okay.  
The woman led me into a little office where a security guard quickly waved a little wand over me and declared that I was cleared to board my plane. Then we went to a small private gate near the one where we had picked up Carolina. It felt like years, but it hadn't even been two weeks ago. Through the big windows, I could see a jet parked outside in the early evening sun, a stairway in place at its door.

When my feet hit the tarmac, I couldn't hold myself back any longer, I ran as fast as I could on my limping legs across to the jet and up the stairs. When I flung myself through the doorway, the first thing that I saw was Eisuke, sitting in a seat with no shirt on, a bandage wrapped around his upper arm.  
"You did get hurt!" I cried, and ran over to him, bending over him and frantically scanning the bandage on his arm, tears began falling from my eyes. "You _did_ get hurt!"  
"Olivia," he said, putting his hands on my arms and pushing me upright. "I'm fine. I need you to calm down."  
"What happened to you?!" I demanded.  
"Right now, the doctor needs to take a look at you so that we can determine if it's safe to take off," Eisuke said, standing and turning me to face the man who was walking towards us. It was the same doctor who had examined me the night that I was sold in the auction.  
The doctor did a thorough check, asking about my injuries, shining a light in my eyes and making me move in certain ways to test my neurological functioning. Once he was finished he turned to Eisuke and said, "She's pretty banged up. She certainly has a concussion, and she has a couple of loose teeth, but I believe that she's safe to make the flight. I'll contact Foster and arrange for a CT scan and dental exam as soon as you arrive. She's oriented and conversing well, so it's fine if she sleeps and that's the best thing for her right now. I'll give her a pain pill and something to calm her down a little and she can sleep until you land."  
Eisuke accepted the pills from the doctor and then the man exited the jet and a flight attendant closed the door behind him.  
"We need to get in our seats and buckle up so that the plane can take off," Eisuke said. I allowing him to guide me to a seat and help me with the seatbelt. He sat down next to me and gave a nod to the woman who had closed the door of the plane. I watched as she buckled herself in and then pushed a little button on her collar to inform the pilot that we were ready for takeoff.

I turned back to Eisuke as the jet began to taxi to a runway. "What happened to your arm?"  
"I got shot," he said. "It isn't a problem. It just grazed me. It looks like you have suffered much worse, so I would like to talk about you right now. Tell me everything that happened."  
I explained what had happened as briefly as possible. "He said that you were dead! He said that someone else had taken my card and gone to kill you!" I said.  
His eyes searched mine for a moment before he said, "Kuroba's father is the one who got your card. He came up to the penthouse and started shooting at anyone and everyone that he saw."  
"Oh my God," I moaned. "Who was there? Who got hurt?"  
"Baba was shot in the shoulder, but he's going to be okay. One of the maids was shot in the stomach, she's in critical condition. One security guard was killed. Another security guard shot and killed Kuroba's father," he explained, his eyes never leaving mine.  
"I can't believe this. Someone got killed? In the penthouse?" I'd started shaking. "But why? Why would Kuroba and his father want to kill you?"  
He sighed, his eyes finally sliding away from mine. "In addition to the casino, we do some very high stakes gambling. Kuroba's brother was involved in a game and lost. In order to pay his debt he had to sell a restaurant that he owned and apparently this led to him taking his own life. It seems that Kuroba and his father were seeking revenge."  
"I don't understand, you knew that Takahiro's brother had committed suicide because of gambling in your underground thing? Is that why you thought he was suspicious?" I asked.  
"No. I only noticed that something was off with him during the golf scramble. Once we got Kuroba's father's identification after he was taken down, Soryu was able to determine what was really going on. Kuroba's real name is Keitaro Mayeda."  
"I see," I said. "But I don't understand why they would try to kill you. Takahiro, or Keitaro, is just going to go to jail and his father is dead. Now they've lost so much more than just a brother and a son."  
"People who are bent on revenge aren't usually thinking logically," Eisuke said. "There's something special about plotting revenge, it alone can sustain you for a very long time."

I searched Eisuke's eyes. He seemed to be speaking from experience, but I knew better than to ask him about it. "I'm just really glad that you're okay. I was so worried when Takahiro told me that you were dead." I looked down at his hand where it lay on the armrest between us. I wanted to touch him, just to feel that he was alive, but I knew that if I did I wouldn't be able to let go. "I'm so sorry that I let that man get my card. I just didn't even realize that I needed to be on my guard. I was oblivious when I needed to protect you."  
"It isn't your responsibility to protect me, it is my responsibility to protect _you_ ," he said, reaching up to gently cup my cheek. "It is ironic that at the moment you pushed your panic button I was shouting at Baba and Ota for putting you in danger, when I did the very same thing myself. I am the one who needs to apologize. I knew that something was wrong with Kuroba. I should have assumed the worst and kept you away from him. Now you've been hurt once again."  
I couldn't stop a few tears from falling. There was a kindness in his voice and in his eyes that I had never seen before. I wanted to crawl into his lap and press myself against his bare chest. Instead I tightened my hands in the material of my skirt. "The only thing that matters is that you are alive."

A tone sounded and the pilot informed us that we could remove our seatbelts. Eisuke stood up and I followed him to the back of the plane. I was surprised when he opened a door and it led into a bedroom. "I didn't know that airplanes had bedrooms in them," I said, looking around.  
"It's a private jet, that's different from a commercial airplane," he said. "There's a bathroom, too. Let's get you a shower. You really need cleaned up."  
While Eisuke turned on the water, I stared at myself in the full length mirror that was mounted on the wall. My face was bruised, swollen and smeared with blood. My lips were split. Blood had dripped down my chin and run down my neck and was even in my hair. It was on my hands and stained my uniform. My stockings were torn and my legs were swollen and bruised where Takahiro had kicked me repeatedly and the car door had hit me. I looked like something out of a horror movie.  
Eisuke stepped to me and began gently helping me to remove my clothes. "I look really bad," I said. I'd been running on adrenaline and shock and now it all seemed to be draining out of me, leaving me exhausted and throbbing with pain.  
"Yeah," Eisuke said. "Takahiro is very lucky to be sitting in a jail cell right now."  
"Why? Because you would do something to him if he weren't?" I asked.  
"Of course. You're mine and he hurt you. That can't be allowed." I held onto his shoulders as he pulled off my skirt, shredded pantyhose and underwear.  
"But, isn't it just as wrong for you to hurt him as it was for him to hurt me?" I asked. "I don't want you trying to take some sort of revenge."  
"It isn't a case of what you want. It is a case of what I have to do. I have to make it clear to anyone who may want to attack me or those under me that I will not hesitate to exact a steep revenge. If I didn't do that, people would be attacking all the time. It's just the way things work," he explained.  
"In the criminal world," I said.  
"Yes. In the criminal world," he stood up and looked me in the eye. "Takahiro is lucky that he is in jail because it is going to buy him a little time, but he is going to die. There is no other alternative."  
"You're going to kill him," I said, my voice shaking a little. I thought of all of the times that Takahiro had smiled at me. I thought of him laughing at work and always being so kind and helpful. Which was the real Takahiro? The nice concierge whom everyone trusted and relied on, or the man who had kidnapped me and worked to plot Eisuke's murder?  
"He said that he didn't intend to hurt me. He said that he was just going to take me away from the hotel and let me go," I said as Eisuke led me into the spray of the shower.  
"It doesn't matter what his intentions were. Touching you was enough, let alone plotting my murder." He had pushed my hands away and was lathering my hair himself, making me stand quietly while he washed me. "I know that you don't want him dead. I'll make sure that he has an easy death. Some sort of poison that isn't too painful."  
"I don't like this. This world where people get sold and killed. I don't understand why you're a part of it. Doesn't being the CEO of The Ichinomiya Group give you enough money?" I asked.  
"I'm sorry that you got pulled into this world. I will get you out of it as soon as I can. And the reasons for my being in it are a conversation for another day," he said. His hands slid a soapy washcloth over me in a businesslike manner, gently washing away the blood that had dried on my skin.  
"This is just bad all around. There is no good here," I said. "Where can I find the good in this so that I can move on?"  
"You're alive and I'm alive. Baba and the maid are going to be okay. Because you pushed your emergency button, there were security guards in the room with us when the shooter entered the penthouse. You saved seven lives at least. That wouldn't have happened if they'd gotten in some other way," Eisuke explained. "I can only imagine what would have happened if Kuroba had gotten a black keycard from another source, or if he had just killed you in his office and taken your card. If both father and son had been on that elevator. If there were two shooters and we had had no warning. It isn't perfect - we lost a security guard - but without your warning everyone could have died."  
I nodded, contemplating his words as he insisted on drying me off and then gave me a nightgown to wear and my pills. I didn't know whether I should feel proud of myself. I had fought back when Takahiro had kidnapped me. I'd fought, but it hadn't made any difference. Except for the blood. If I hadn't had the blood in my mouth to write on the window, I don't know what would have happened. Would Takahiro have let me go like he had said? It seemed more likely that he would have kept me and waited for word from his father. There was no telling what he would have done once he realized that his father was dead.  
I pushed the thought away from me and climbed into the bed. I wanted to sleep and escape the pain and my own thoughts for awhile. Maybe when I woke up, I would feel more optimistic and better able to cope. It didn't seem very likely, but I could always hope.  
_*_*_*_*_

I lay on my side on the crisp sheets of the bed. Eisuke lay on the other pillow facing me, searching my eyes as always. He put a hand out and covered mine. "I won't let you get hurt again."  
I closed my eyes and shook my head. "You didn't know this was going to happen. There was no way that you could know."  
"I'm supposed to know everything. I'm supposed to prepare for every eventuality," he said quietly. "You've thrown me off. All that I wanted was an excuse to keep you." His hand moved to gently cup my cheek, his thumb softly stroking over my skin.  
Suddenly a thought occurred to me and I flinched back, away from his touch. I pushed myself up off of the pillow, wanting to escape, but there was no escaping from my own mind.  
"What's wrong?" Eisuke asked. "Did I hurt you?"  
I shook my head, looking around the room, not wanting to meet his eyes. But his rule was to tell the truth. After a moment, I looked back at him. "I had a thought. A crazy thought. I…" As my voice trailed off, I felt as if I was going to cry. Speaking this aloud made me feel as if I were going to lose all control of myself. "What's the difference," I whispered. "What's the difference between you touching me and the guard touching me? Or any of those men hitting me? Everyone just doing things to me that I didn't want or agree to or have a say in. I know there's a difference. But is the difference just that you're attractive? And you're nicer, sometimes, maybe...  
"I'm sorry. Maybe it isn't fair for me to say this to you. But right now I don't know the answer to that question." I was crying now, feeling like I wanted to run away and there was nowhere to run to. I didn't want to find the answer to the question, I didn't think I would be able to face it.  
"You're right," he said. "I know that you're right. I've been trying to avoid thinking about it myself. That's the reason that I've never had sex with you. I'm all too aware that our power balance is off and you are in a vulnerable position. I shouldn't be touching you."  
I was shaking my head, not because I didn't agree with him, but because I was having trouble processing what he was saying.  
"I've been telling myself that I own you and can do with you as I like, and I know that isn't true. I'm just making excuses because I want to touch you." He'd been lying on the pillow, looking up at me as he spoke. Now he sat up and said, "I want to touch you now. I want to hold you while you fall asleep. Will you let me do that?"  
I took a deep breath. I could feel the pain pill starting to drag my body down into sleep. Yes, I wanted him to hold me. Did that make it okay? That I wanted it and that he'd asked? I was beyond thinking about it, it was too late for me to analyze it. I was going to fall asleep and I wanted his arms around me. That was my answer for now.  
I moved towards him and he reached for me and pulled me close, settling me against him with my head on his chest. There would be a lot to think about when my head was clear, but for now I would just enjoy his warmth and the way that he was stroking my hair.

A wave of heat hit me as I stepped off the jet, causing me to blink and look around. We were on a runway in the middle of the night, so all there was to see was the nondescript backs of airport buildings, but the signs on them had strange writing. I suddenly realized that I had no idea where we were. I hadn't even bothered to ask where we were going.  
"Where are we?" I asked as we made our way down the stairs. A limousine was parked on the tarmac near the stairs and three men stood next to it, waiting for us.  
"We're in Dubai," Eisuke said. We approached the men and two of them stepped forward to check our passports and put a stamp in them. Eisuke had a quick conversation with them in English, and then the third man opened the limo door and we got inside the car.  
"Why are we in Dubai?" I asked.  
"I have a home here, a place where we will be safe," he explained. "We can't go back to the penthouse because it's a crime scene and I think it would be best for you to be somewhere quiet."  
We went to a hospital where a British doctor named Luke Foster escorted me directly to a room to get a CAT scan - no waiting or filling out forms. He confirmed that I had a minor concussion and provided a list of do's and don'ts. Afterwards he lead me to a regular exam room in the hospital where a dentist was waiting. He took a look at my teeth and explained to me that the loose ones would tighten up on their own, there was no need to worry about them falling out.  
After I'd been examined by the doctor and the dentist, we went to the roof of the hospital and got into a helicopter. When I'd heard that we were in Dubai, things had begun to feel a little far away from me as if I were in a dream. When the helicopter blades began to spin and we lifted off the ground, Eisuke took my hand in his and everything seemed even more unreal. Being kidnapped, people being killed, a jet to Dubai, a ride in a helicopter, Eisuke continuing to be kind to me...it was all too much for my brain to handle. Nothing seemed real. When we landed nearly two hours later on a small island that belonged to Eisuke, the feeling of separation from reality just got worse.  
I followed him inside a large house that was like something you would see on television - nearly every room had huge windows with views of the ocean. We were greeted by servants, some local, some Japanese. Everyone smiling and pleasant. I was shown a closet that had already been filled with clothes for me. Everything happened instantly for Eisuke.

I was numb, my brain felt as if it were nearly turned off. I just went where Eisuke went and did what I was told. Sit down and eat the breakfast that we were provided. Sit in the living room while Eisuke tapped at his computer and talked on the phone. Say, "Yes, I'm okay" whenever I was asked. Follow Eisuke back to the dining room and eat lunch. Smile and say, "thank you" to the servants.  
After lunch I was standing with Eisuke outside on a terrace. The sun was hot and the air was filled with the crashing of the waves. Eisuke was talking about the plants and animals on the island. His voice was muted and far away. " _Olivia_?" he asked, suddenly close to me and staring into my eyes. " _Tell me what's wrong._ "  
I began to shudder and take in deep gulps of air, trying to regain control of myself when it felt like everything within me was coming crashing down. I sank to the hot tile, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. Eisuke sat down beside me, wrapping his body around me and pulling me close. He held me tightly while it seemed that I would cry without end.  
A servant had brought a box of tissues and at times Eisuke had been typing into his cell phone. When my crying slowed and I was finally able to pull myself together, he helped me to stand and said, "You need to talk to Ran Nitta. She's standing by."  
He led me into the dining room and sat his laptop in front of me. Ran was on the screen, from the background it looked like she was at home. It must be nighttime in Japan. I talked to her for a very long time, trying to sort through everything that had happened to me, trying to get everything to make sense in a way that would help me to feel okay.  
"It isn't as simple as that," Ran said. "You're not going to find a key to make all of this okay. We're going to have to process through this. You've been through a lot and you're still going through a lot. It's just going to take time."

_*_*_*_*_

The next few days blended together, all cut from the same cloth. I felt as if my heart were beating especially slowly as I moved through time: eating meals, spending time talking to Ran, writing down my thoughts, sitting in a patch of shade in the grass right on the edge of the beach and watching the waves for hours. At night I slept with Eisuke. He gave me the option to sleep in my own room, but I was too afraid to be in a room by myself at night.  
I woke up two or three times each night, screaming in fear from nightmares. Eisuke would hold me and try to help me calm down. I couldn't tell him that he was in some of the dreams - his face distorted and evil - commanding me to remove my clothing, telling me that I was going to be punished. He offered to contact Dr. Foster and have a medication prescribed to help me sleep. Knowing Eisuke, he already had the medicine at the ready if I decided that I wanted it, but I couldn't help but be afraid of the medicine preventing me from waking up from my nightmares. I didn't want to be trapped, unable to wake up, facing the terrible endings that I always escaped by screaming myself awake.  
Eisuke spent his days on his laptop and phone, working constantly. At times, when I sat and watched the waves, he would come and sit behind me. He would straddle his legs out on either side of me, press his back against mine and hold me quietly. He never tried to get me to talk.  
"You're right that you'll have to talk to him," Ran said. "I know that you're confused. Talking to him may help you to work some things out."

The next time he tried to sit behind me at the beach I said, "Don't touch me."  
I was facing the ocean and he was standing behind me. I couldn't see his face, but his movement stilled for several seconds. My heart was in my throat. I wasn't supposed to tell him no. He'd been so different while we were on the island, ever since the incident with the guard. I just didn't know how he would react. I waited for him to tell me that he would have to punish me, but instead he stepped around to crouch down in front of me. He was in the sand and I was on the grass and it felt like we were in two different world. His eyes searched mine.  
"What's this all about?" he asked, his voice was a mix of anger and gentleness. He'd been enjoying the role that he was playing: the benevolent provider of comfort. I'd denied his gesture and it had pissed him off, but he was trying not to show it.  
"I want some answers. I _need_ some answers," I replied, my voice was too aggressive. I'd built myself up to talk to him and the tension inside of me was throwing out the words like bullets.  
"Ask some questions then," he challenged with a flash of his eyes and a flick of his chin. His smirk - absent for the last few days - was coming back.  
"Why didn't you let me go after the auction? Soryu told me you were just trying to save me, so why did you keep me? And why did you touch me? You said that you _knew_ it was wrong. So why did you do it?" My accusations echoed across the beach and were swallowed up by the waves. My heart pounded as he stared at me, his eyes sharp and angry. He didn't like being questioned.  
"You would have gone to the police or told your friends about what happened. Even if you made a bunch of promises, we would have had to put a tail on you to make sure you weren't saying anything. It was too risky and too much trouble," he explained. "You were a weak link and weak links have to be taken care of."  
I shivered a little, remembering him talking about poisoning Takahiro. I could be dead. If he were a different person, the easiest thing for him to have done would have been to kill me. To eliminate the threat altogether.

"I wanted to touch you. There's something about the way you look at me with your eyes all full of fear and desire and unspoken defiance. It makes me want to prove that the desire is strongest, that I can touch you and make you forget that you're afraid of me, forget that you want to say no," he shrugged and looked away for a moment. "And I like touching you. It's fun. It's not work like it is when I touch other women. I like to play with you"  
"But you still…" I gulped and closed my eyes to get control of myself. "You still 'worked on me' when you touched me after the guard. You were trying to make me forget or reclaim your territory or something."  
He gave a little laugh. "You figured that out? It was a mistake. I didn't get it til later. I was being insensitive, probably bringing back bad memories about the guard."  
"What did you do to the guard?" I asked sharply. I hadn't intended to talk about this yet, but it had come up and I wanted to know.  
He narrowed his eyes at me, his voice was laced with warning. "You know that I can't let anyone touch my property."  
" _Say it_ ," I demanded.  
"He's dead."  
" _Why?!_ " I cried. " _I was_ _in disguise_. No one even knows it was me! No one even knows what happened except us!"  
"The place got robbed. They're gonna go to the guard and he's gonna brag that at least he took a stab at their little distraction. People start adding things up. If they figure out that Baba is the one who stole their shit, they might guess that you were the one that the guard touched," he explained. "It doesn't matter anyway. Even if it had been another girl, she still would have been one of my people. I probably wouldn't have killed him, but he wouldn't be walking."  
" _I hate this_!" I yelled.  
"Then stop asking questions."  
" _No_. I need to. I need to decide how I feel about you. I hate you and I'm afraid of you and you're being so nice and I want you. I can't keep going to sleep in your arms and waking up to nightmares that were about you." I'd started to cry. "You can't be my enemy and my hero at the same time. It's making me crazy. I know you're faking the niceness. It isn't really you and it isn't really what I want from you-"  
I stopped abruptly and bit my lip. I'd gone too far and said too much. His eyes flashed and his lips gave a little smirk. Of course he'd noticed.  
"What is it that you want from me, Olivia?" I moved to get up and escape from the conversation, but he snatched my wrist and held me in place. "Tell me what you want."

My skin was hot and cold, my heart didn't know whether to stop or pound. I felt dizzy as I met his eyes. He'd given me a direction and he wouldn't be denied. "I'm still not sure myself, but I think I want to belong to you. I want you to be cold to me. I want you to scare me or yell at me or piss me off and then fuck me. I...I want to _give you power over me_. I want to _give it_ not have it _taken away_." I stared back into his eyes, afraid of my own words. "I'm fucked up. I've got to be fucked up, but I don't want things to change. I want you to keep telling me what to do and using me. I just want the real you. If you want to be nice, be nice, but don't hold back when you want to be a bastard."  
His eyes were flashing now and he was smirking at me. He'd liked what I said and his approval made something release and relax within me. I sobbed as I felt a wave of tension leave my body.  
"I can do that. Do you want to start right now?" His voice had lowered, it was full of sex and promises. He'd been suppressing his true nature and it was eager to be freed.  
My breath froze in my throat and I felt a wave of heat prickle over my skin. This was a turning point. If we did this things would never be the same. There would be no going back.  
"Yes," I answered, staring him right in the eye. "Let's do it now."  
The edges of his smirk tilted up into a hedonistic smile. "Take off your clothes," he directed, raising an eyebrow in a silent question: _Would I really obey him?  
_ I forced myself not to look around. I knew that we were standing behind a large section of landscaping. Trees, bushes and flowers separated us from the house. I'd chosen this spot days ago because it afforded me some privacy. No one would be able to see us.  
I knew that I was probably making a mistake. Ran would advise me to take things slowly, but the temptation was too great. Eisuke and what he wanted of me were the only things that mattered. The only things that seemed real. I pulled off my clothes quickly - dress, bra, panties and sandals were tossed to the side - leaving my body totally bared to him. I wanted his eyes on me. I wanted to be vulnerable to him. I wanted his touch and his heat. I wanted him to take me and make me his.  
"Put your hands behind your head and turn around," he said, indicating that I move with a flick of his hand. I did as he said, threading my fingers together on the back of my head and turning away from him. I focused my attention on a bush a few yards away. My breathing seemed especially loud. I was listening for the slightest sound that would hint at what he was doing.

He stepped closer and I felt his fingertips brush over my upper back. "I can still remember the first time I saw you like this as if it was only a moment ago," he said huskily, his fingers tracing down my spine. "You have a beautiful back, especially the small of your back." His knuckles played over my lower back. "This part is mine."  
"All of me is yours," I said. His hand on me was making my nipples tingle and my pulse race. I was starting to feel breathless. I pictured his cock as I had seen it, held it and tasted it. I wanted it inside of me.  
"Get on your knees." His voice held more force and the sound of it sent shivers through me, weakening my legs. I moved awkwardly to my knees, my body off balance because my hands were clasped behind my head. I could hear him removing his clothes behind me. I tried to figure out what he was taking off: Was that his shirt? And that sound was the zipper on his jeans… Was he taking off everything?  
I felt him kneeling behind me and his hand skimmed over my back. "Go all the way down," he said, a hand on my back pushing me to the grass while his other hand was on my shoulder, guiding me so that I wouldn't topple over.  
When I lay on my belly, my head turned to the side and my hands locked together over my ear, I shivered as his hand slid over my side and down my thigh to my knee. His fingers played at the back of my knee for a few moments before reversing course and trailing up my thigh towards my ass.  
My mind raced. Would he spank me again? My breath caught in anticipation and my ass clenched. I felt desire heating low in my belly. But when his fingers reached the curve of my behind, I was surprised not by a swat but by his hot tongue licking over my lower back. I gasped and moaned, as his tongue lapped over my skin and his lips kissed and sucked, while his fingers massaged my ass.  
I felt helpless. My hands were immobilized, I couldn't touch him, I couldn't see him, all that I could do was submit to him and writhe as my arousal grew. His hand caressing my ass was relaying its movements to my clit, making my pussy ache and throb. Feelings began to flood my body, not just arousal and desire but feelings of comfort and belonging. I had missed this so much and needed it so badly. His touch felt so right that it was causing an aching, nearly painful, need to fill me.  
My chest and arms felt as if they would burst with the feelings inside of me. The only cure was to hold him tightly against me, but instead my breasts were pressing into the cool grass and my arms were frozen in place. His tongue played hot and wet up my spine and his fingers caressed over my ass, and I sobbed because his touch was exactly what I needed.  
Tears pricked my eyes and slid sideways over my face. They weren't tears of happiness, because happiness was too simple of an emotion. I was caught in a tumult of joy, passion, desire that verged on painful, and a feeling that everything was perfectly right because he was touching me. I loved him. The realization made me sob again and pushed my need for him deeper, higher, stronger. I wanted him with everything that was in me.  
"Are you crying?" His voice was concerned and his hands were on me, turning me over onto my back. My fingers untangled and my hands reached for him, settling on the firm skin of his shoulders. His eyes searched mine, they were filled with concern.  
"They're good tears. I want this so badly," I explained, trying to pull him down to me. "Please don't stop touching me."

He made a pleased sound and took my hands off of his shoulders, pushing them into the grass above my head and holding them down at the wrist with one hand. He bent over me and began kissing and licking at my tears while my body celebrated its newfound freedom to writhe and arch towards him. He was on all fours, holding his body away from mine, his calves pressed along the outside of my legs, holding them closed. I wanted to press my breasts against his chest, I wanted to feel him between my thighs, but I would have to wait until he was ready to give me those things.  
His lips moved to take mine and it was a perfect Eisuke kiss. Hot and demanding, taking everything without hesitation and demanding more. I opened myself up to him and met each stroke of his tongue, tasting him, caressing him, giving him everything that I had.  
When his mouth finally left mine, I was breathless and moaning. I opened my eyes to find him staring down at me, his eyes were hot and full of the pleasure of conquest. He held my gaze as the hand on my wrists released me and began to trail lightly down my arm. My nipples, already begging for his touch, tightened and ached painfully, desperate to feel him. When his knuckles finally brushed lightly over a nipple I cried out and arched into his touch, the feeling was electric, almost too good to bear, pulsing through my body and increasing my need for him.  
"Please, Eisuke, please…" I begged. He gave me a smirking smile and dropped his head to my breasts, closing his mouth on a nipple and worrying it with his tongue. My hands realized that they were free and I wove my fingers into his soft hair, holding his mouth to me, pressing into the hot wetness of his tongue. When his teeth began to lightly nibble at my tender flesh, I felt like he was shredding my sanity.  
"Please," I cried, wriggling and struggling against him. "Let my legs go. I want to feel you between my legs."  
"Is that what you want?" he asked, his voice way too calm and controlled. He pushed up away from my breasts and I took in the sight of his chest and hard cock as he positioned himself between my thighs.

Spreading my legs felt amazing. I was opening my body to him, inviting him in, feeling the air play on the wet folds of my sex. With my lower body released, the intensity of my desire increased. I was aching and throbbing for him and he was so close, just a breath away. "Eisuke, please," I pleaded, my hands pulling at him, my body arching towards his. "I need you! I _need_ you…"  
He wasn't moving and I looked back up at his face. He was staring down at me, his eyes dark and fiery. He held my gaze as his hand slipped down to grip my thigh and pull me open even further. His eyes dropped and I looked down to see him guiding his cock to my entrance.  
"Oh! Oh! Oh God, yes!" I cried. Just the tip of him touching me was throwing pleasure through my body. As he pushed inside of me, I watched his hard staff disappear at the same time as I felt him stretching me, filling me, moving slowly until he was buried deep within me.  
He lowered himself down, his eyes finding mine and watching the play of emotions that were quaking through my being. My body was shaking and clenching around him. He felt like a miracle inside of me. I raised a trembling hand and stroked his cheek, he was so beautiful. He lowered his head and his lips took mine slowly, tenderly, his tongue slipping between my lips to taste me as his hips began to move, rocking his cock inside of me with small controlled motions.  
I sucked on his tongue and tangled my fingers in his hair, bucking my hips to meet and amplify his movements. Tears were forming in my eyes again because all of me - my mind, my heart, my body, my soul - was getting what it wanted. His lips parted from mine and I looked up to see him smiling wickedly at me. He moved his hips with a rolling motion and his cock stroked over some special spot deep inside of me.  
I began screaming, throwing my head back, closing my eyes and giving myself over to the ecstacy he created within me as he started a rhythm of deep, hard thrusts. I met and matched his every stroke with desperate abandon, feeling my body filling with stars and fire. I clung to him, holding him tightly, pulling him into me, feeling as if we could not be close enough.  
The pitch of my screams changed, growing higher and louder as I approached my climax. He repositioned himself, moving up and taking one of my knees in his hand, pushing it up and out, deepening and intensifying the feel of his thrusts inside of me. I let go completely, forgetting my surroundings, closing my eyes to the sky above me, everything fading away except for his hand on my knee and his cock plunging into me again and again until I couldn't take any more and everything seemed to explode.  
My body froze in an arch and my pussy pulsed around him as I called my pleasure to the waves and the sky. His hand slipped up my thigh and over my stomach, tweaking a nipple before he set his hands beside me and began thrusting himself into me at a frenzied pace, seeking his own pleasure. I cried out over and over as he continued to fuck me, until he pulled out and his seed splashed, hot and wet, over my pussy.  
"Eisuke… Eisuke…" I said, not even sure why. I felt as if my world had completely changed. I felt like I was truly his.  
"Is that what you wanted?" he asked, flashing his smirk.  
I sucked in a breath, pushing back all of the emotions that were swirling through me. They were mine, and I would treasure them, but they were not what he wanted. He was returning to normal, cold and aloof and unconcerned, and this was exactly what I had wanted. "Yes," I said, matter-of-fact and honest. "Thank you."  
He gave a little laugh and stood up, scrubbing his fingers through his hair before he turned and walked back toward the house. Without a stitch on.  
I sighed and laughed to myself before sitting up and judging the best place to approach the waves so that the bushes and trees would shield me from the house. I scurried across the sand and dipped into the water, rinsing sweat and his seed from my body. Afterwards, I drew my dress on slowly, not bothering with my bra or panties. I'd be showering in the house anyway. I picked up our clothes and slipped on my sandals.  
As I walked across the grass towards the house, I wondered what life would look like now. Now that we were fucking. Now that I had gladly accepted belonging to him. Now that he had accepted me.

Eisuke's Mental Notes 7/28/2018:

 _...Olivia is no longer depressed and moody. I'm fucking her..._


	9. Acceptance

_Author's Note: This chapter feels too short! It's shorter than the rest of the chapters, but I also just didn't want this story to end. However, if I were to drag it out and try to resolve more questions - do they find Eisuke's sister? do Olivia and Eisuke stay together? I would have had to start padding chapters with a bunch of fluff and I didn't want to do that._

 _At this time I do intend for there to be five parts to this story - one for each bidder. Part 2 will feature Sakiko and Soryu. I'm putting more effort into learning about writing, so hopefully Part 2 will be better than Part 1._

 _I do feel like this chapter is too short. I hope I've wrapped up everything that you feel needed wrapped up. If you feel like something is missing, just leave a comment and I'll try to add it if it's possible._

I was reading a magazine and Eisuke was working on his laptop when a servant brought in glasses of iced tea for the two of us. Accepting a glass, I thanked the young man and felt myself flush. I was sitting cross-legged on the couch and my short dress was bunched up at the top of my thighs leaving all of my legs exposed. I was in a transition period when it came to modesty. I wanted to say, "fuck it" and relax, but part of me was still self-conscious.  
Eisuke left his laptop and sat down next to me on the couch, sipping his tea. "Anything interesting in your magazine?"  
I looked at him and pushed my fake glasses up on my nose. After Eisuke and I had started fucking the helicopter had arrived with a box full of sex toys. The box had also contained a dozen pairs of fashion glasses. I wore them most of the time because they seemed to drive Eisuke crazy. "Not really. I want to ask you a question."  
"Ask it then," he said with his usual flippance.  
"When we were on the jet, well, you kind of said that you would tell me why you're involved in underground crime. It doesn't seem like you would need the money," I said, a little nervous that he was going to get mad at me for asking.  
He shrugged and said, "First of all, money equals power, you can never get enough of it. And secondly, you should know that I'm not really an Ichinomiya. I'm adopted."  
"Oh," I said. "Does that mean that you could lose your job as CEO?"  
"No," he said with an irritated scowl. "Listen to me. My real father was targeted by a mafia boss, a man named Nikaido. He held some sort of grudge against my father and did his best to destroy my father's life. He's a boss, so he could have just had my father killed, but it looks like he wanted to slowly torture him by taking things away from him one by one."  
I nodded, thinking that crime and revenge seemed to go hand in hand.  
"He destroyed my father's reputation and business, forcing him to declare bankruptcy. He also had an affair with my mother," he explained. "As far as I can tell he got my mother to fall in love with him and then turned on her. He broke up with her and threatened to expose her secrets, he also had some pictures and videos that he said he would release. I don't know if this was his intention, but my mother committed suicide."

I felt a chill run down my spine. I reached over and put my hand on his, but he pulled it away from me with an irritated flick.  
"When my mother died, my father disappeared. I haven't seen him since the day they found her. He just walked out and never came back. I was adopted by Akira Ichinomiya. He'd been a good friend of my father and he needed a son to take over The Ichinomiya Group - his own son had gotten involved in drugs and died from an overdose."  
Something changed in his eyes. He'd been coldly recounting this messed up history, but now sadness was creeping in. "I had a younger sister. Akira was going to adopt her too, but Nikaido said that he'd been sleeping with my mother for many years and that Hitome was his daughter. A dna test confirmed his claim and he took my sister. I haven't seen her since then, but I've been looking for her for years. Nikaido didn't keep her with him. I don't know what he did with her. I've tried to talk to him, but he won't cooperate. I've been using everything in my power to track her down, but I can't find her."  
"What does he say when you ask? Nothing at all?" I asked.  
"He said she was happy and told me not to worry about it. He's just brushing me off and playing games," Eisuke said. "During investigations we found a lab tech who Nikaido paid to forge the lab results. My sister is not his daughter. I don't know why he claimed that she was. Maybe it was one last way to hurt my father. He was gone by then, but could have heard that his daughter was supposedly fathered by another man."  
"The only way to find my sister is to build up enough power to take on Nikaido. I have the power and the wealth that The Ichinomiya Group gives me, but I need power in the underground. Power and connections and the more money the better. Nikaido is the second most powerful mafia boss in Japan. I have to build my underground organization until I can take him down. I'll get revenge - revenge for my mother, my father, and myself - and I'll get my sister back," he said.  
"I see," I said, feeling my stomach turn. People were dying because Eisuke wanted revenge and to find his sister. I remembered what he'd said on the jet: ' _There's something special about plotting revenge, it alone can sustain you for a very long time_.' And Soryu had described him as driven, even as a child. He'd built his life on increasing his power in order to find his sister and get his revenge. It was terrifying and touching at the same time.

I looked up at him. His expression was aloof. He didn't let his feelings show, but they had to be in there. I imagined him as a child, losing his entire family, as an adult unable to find his sister even though his wealth and power would usually afford him whatever he wanted. I wanted to comfort him and the only method available was my body. I took his glass from his hand and sat it on the table before climbing on top of him and straddling his lap.  
I looked into his eyes. His usual smirk was gone and his eyes were dark and clouded. I rubbed my thumb over his lower lip before dipping my head to kiss him, using my lips and tongue to say all of the things that I wasn't able to say aloud.  
He was hiding so much pain inside and I just wanted to take it away. I could feel his hesitation, his body was stiff and he was holding himself back. The air was charged with emotion and everything felt deeper than it ever had before. I licked and tugged at his mouth until he opened up and let me inside. I teased his tongue, tempting him, reminding him of the pleasure that we shared, promising to comfort him and surround him with my love.  
When I felt his body relax and his tongue began to return my caresses, I felt my heart swell in my chest. I deepened our kiss, pouring everything into it, exploring, sucking and stroking. I buried my hands in his hair and held me to him, moaning into his mouth, trying to draw the pain out of him and replace it with love.  
I felt his hands slide under my dress and over my bare ass. I was no longer allowed to wear panties or bras. There was nothing separating me from his touch as his fingers massaged my ass cheeks, making my pussy flood and my clit ache for him. I tore my mouth from his and captured his eyes with mine. I wanted him to see everything that I was feeling as I readjusted my position, pressed my cunt against his bulge and began grinding my clit against the rough denim that separated our skin.  
His hands gripped my ass and he began helping me to move myself on his body. I saw heat flaring in his eyes as he said, "Cum for me."

I gasped. I hadn't intended to get myself off, but now that he wanted it, now that he was directing me, I had to have it. I put my hands on his shoulders and moved my pussy experimentally over his jeans, not just mindlessly grinding but paying attention to the sweet hot feel of the fabric rubbing through my wet folds and dragging with an electric intensity over my clit. I kept my eyes locked on Eisuke's the entire time, letting him see the pleasure and ecstasy that I found as I moved on him.  
I found the perfect way to rub myself against him and punctuated the rhythm of my movements with cries and moans. As arousal built up inside of me, I began to feel frenzied and my nipples were begging for attention. "Touch my breasts," I breathed. "Please."  
Without breaking eye contact, he moved his hands to pull the scoop neckline of my dress partway down my arms, freeing my aching breasts. His fingers began pinching and tugging at my nipples, making my cries grow louder and I moved faster on him, pushing myself to an orgasm while he watched emotions flicker through my eyes. I came hard, grinding my pussy into him, gripping his shoulders and crying out my pleasure.

As soon as I stilled, he pulled me to him, taking my lips in a fierce kiss while his arms wrapped around me. I felt as if I were melting into him, I was breathless and my body was languid after my climax. His lips left my mouth and he dropped kisses over my cheeks and down my neck before turning and lying me down on the couch.  
"I want inside of you, _now_ ," he said, standing up to remove his clothes.  
"Oh, wait! The staff!" I hissed, realizing that I'd completely forgotten myself.  
"It's a little late to be worrying about that now," he said with a laugh. "With all the moaning you were doing, I think everyone knows to avoid this room."  
Blushing, I thought about insisting that we go to the bedroom, but Eisuke was finished removing his clothes and the sight of his naked body and hard cock was too much of a temptation. I'd be screaming in a few minutes anyway, did it matter which room I was doing it in?  
He lowered himself over me, his mouth sucking in each of my nipples and giving it some attention before he licked and kissed his way up to my lips. His kiss was soft and sweet, pulling at my heart and making me ache to feel him inside of me. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly to me, spreading my legs as far as I could on the couch and arching up into him, inviting him in. "This is all of me," I whispered. "Take all of me."  
Realizing what I'd said, I felt myself stiffen. What had I done? Before I could pull my thoughts together to try to figure out how to fix my mistake, he raised his head and looked into my eyes. "You're mine."  
His words went through me in a wave of heat, his eyes were so intense they took my breath away. I wanted to answer him, to confirm his words, but I couldn't speak. His cock was thrusting into me, filling me, making everything else fade away. I wrapped my legs around him, holding him tightly to me in every way possible. His skin was damp with sweat as he thrust himself into me again and again, hard and deep, making me scream with pleasure. I arched and pressed myself against him, matching the rhythm of his thrusts and urging him on. I wanted more of him. More and more. There could never be enough.

( _Several days later)_

"Soryu!" I was so surprised and excited to see him standing in the living room that I ran over and gave him a hug. "What are you doing here?"  
"Of course Eisuke didn't mention that I was coming," he said, pushing me away from him to inspect me from head to toe. "How are you doing?"  
"I'm good. I'm getting better," I said, smiling up at him to prove it. "I've been doing lots of work with Ran, and Eisuke and I have worked some things out."  
"Look what I brought for you," he said. I looked in the direction that he was pointing and saw a pet carrier on a table.  
"Kaki!" I cried and ran over to let her out of the carrier. "She's so big! She's huge!" I snuggled her to me and looked at Soryu. "Eisuke told me that you were taking care of her. Thank you so much!"  
"It was no problem," he said and his voice turned serious. "We've all been very worried about you."  
"I'm doing good, Soryu. I promise. It was really rough in the beginning but I'm okay. How are Baba and the maid? Eisuke always tells me that they are okay, but he never bothers to give me details."  
"Baba is doing well. He's been getting a lot of attention from women because of his injury," Soryu said with a shake of his head. "The maid is going to be released from the hospital in two weeks. Eisuke bought her family an apartment and he's making sure that she's getting the best of care. He always takes care of his people. It's going to take some time for her to fully recover, but the doctors do expect her to be back to normal sometime next year."  
I looked down and bit my lip before saying quietly, "And Takahiro?"  
"He's gone, Olivia," Soryu said gently.  
"Yeah," I said, nodding my head too many times. "Yeah, I thought so. Eisuke wouldn't tell me, but I thought he...he must have already taken care of it."  
"It's a sad situation," Soryu said. "But this is a dirty business. Our rules aren't the same as everyone else's. Like I said, Eisuke takes care of his people and that means taking care of threats with no sympathy."  
"I understand. I've been trying to get used to the idea. Eisuke said that the guard's children and the maid's daughter will be taken care of - they'll be sent to university and he's set up trust funds for them. I guess in a way it helps to balance things out," I said, wanting Soryu to affirm some of my own justifications for how things worked in Eisuke's world.  
"You're right, Olivia," Soryu said. "And I want you to know that I haven't spoken to your friend Sakiko yet. I wanted to talk to you again. Now that you've seen how bad things can get, I thought you might change your mind about letting me offer her a position."  
"I…" I was going to tell him to stay away from her, but a selfish thought crossed my mind. "If she does join and she knows about the underground side of things, can I talk to her? Can she be someone that I can talk to about things when I go back to Japan?"  
Soryu reached up to rub his hand over his jaw while he contemplated his answer. "I don't think that would be a problem," he replied. "I don't think you'd be able to tell her everything right away, but some things would be okay. I do know that you need a friend. A _female_ friend."  
"Thank you, Soryu. Just make sure that you let her know that things could get really dangerous, even if you don't expect her to have to deal with anything like that. She should know that people get hurt and killed," I said.  
"I'll do that."  
I was so happy at the thought of being able to talk to Sakiko and so happy to see Soryu again that I stepped forward to give him another quick hug, which he stiffly accepted.  
"What are you two doing?" Eisuke's voice rang out into the room.  
I stepped away from Soryu to smile over at Eisuke. "Soryu's here!" I cried with a smile. "You didn't tell me he was coming."  
"It's not that important," he replied, looking down darkly at Kaki who was standing between Soryu and I, hissing at him. "It's time for lunch."  
"It _is_ a important that Soryu is here and make sure you're not mean to my cat. It isn't her fault she doesn't like you," I said as I crossed the room to take his arm.  
"I haven't done a thing to make that cat dislike me."

After lunch Eisuke and Soryu needed to talk business, so I took Kaki outside to let her play in the grass. It was her first time being outside in nature. After taking a short time to realize that she didn't need to be afraid, she scampered and played for a long time. When she was finally ready to settle down and go to sleep, she had worked her way halfway around the house. I scooped her up and took her in through the side door, walking down the hallway past the kitchen on my way to the living room.  
"...I think the safest thing is to give her a small shop to run. She'll have a job to keep her busy, we can ensure the shop is highly secure and all employees can be undercover security."  
I stopped in the hallway as I heard Soryu's voice. ' _What are they talking about?'_ I thought, feeling a chill go down my spine. ' _Are they talking about me?_ '  
"A shop would be much easier to secure than the hotel. The hotel is out of the question," Eisuke said.  
"I also think…" Soryu seemed hesitant to make his suggestion. "I think she needs a constant guard. A live-in boyfriend or husband. Someone highly trained who is with her all the time."  
"That's out of the question."  
"Hear me out. It doesn't have to be a real boyfriend, just someone that appears to be her boyfriend. It would make her doubly safe. She'll have someone with her all the time and it would be pretty obvious that you aren't messing with her anymore if she's got a new boyfriend."  
"It doesn't matter if it's just a fake boyfriend. If they're living together they'll eventually be fucking each other."  
"I think at this point we need to get Olivia's input on this. We're wasting our time coming up with solutions that she may refuse."  
"She'll do what I tell her to do."  
"The cat," Soryu said. I realized that Kaki had slipped out of my arms while I was distracted. She must have gone to Soryu.  
" _Olivi_ a," Eisuke raised his voice, calling me to come out of hiding.  
I forced my feet to move and stepped out of the hallway. I stared accusingly at Eisuke. "You're sending me away. You're _releasing_ me after all of this. There is something _wrong_ with you. I can't believe that you would do this!" I shouted at him. "No. Nevermind! I should _never have expected anything else!_ This is who you are, a fucking asshole who only cares about himself!"  
"Olivia," Soryu said, his voice warning me to control myself and not go too far. Eisuke stood up.  
"No!" I yelled at him. "Don't you come near me! Don't come anywhere near me!" I turned and ran back down the hallway and out of the house, not stopping until I'd run through a large stand of trees and and out onto the beach on the other side. I couldn't see the house and the people in the house couldn't see me. I was free to have a meltdown without interference or observation.  
Tears were already streaming down my face and when I sank down to the sand, I let loose entirely, sobbing and wailing in anger and pain at Eisuke's betrayal. _Once again_ it felt like the rug was being pulled out from under me. I'd had an idea in my mind of how the near future would be - maybe not a forever future - but how things would be for some time. Eisuke and I had seemed to have a connection. He'd opened up to me. I'd thought that he'd started to trust me. I'd _thought_ we'd been building a bond. I didn't believe that he was going to stay with me forever, but from his actions I assumed that things between us would last for a while.  
I had been an absolute and utter fool. I _knew_ that he was an asshole. I _knew_ that he used women. He had admitted it to me himself. Why would I have thought that he wasn't using me? Because he'd said he liked fucking me just for the feeling? Because he had no ulterior motive? Because I was a poor fucking maid who didn't have any wealth or prestige or connections to offer him? So he had just used me for the pleasure and now he was ready to move on.  
I rolled over and yelled up at the sky, "I can't fucking do this again!" I clenched sand in my fists and beat them on the beach. _Again, again and again!_ I just kept losing everything. I was going to be expected to pick myself up _again_ and pull everything together and move to some foreign country. Probably _Canada_ , a country that I had always secretly despised because I associated it with the father who had abandoned me.  
They were going to give me a whole new life to replace my old one. They were going to give me a shop and employee-guards and even a new fucking live-in boyfriend. I took in giant gulps of air and out of habit began pushing all of the bad feelings down inside of me. I struggled to gain control of myself. I wanted to run far away, to escape from Eisuke and this island that had gone from paradise to prison in the blink of an eye. But the only way to get away was to get on the helicopter and be taken away to a ready-made life.  
Well, I would fucking take it. I would accept it all and get away from this anger and pain. I would go live in a strange country and live a new life. I didn't want this one anymore. It was too painful, too broken. I couldn't handle it anymore. Give me the fake life. I would take it and pretend to be happy.  
I pushed myself up off of the beach. I was covered with sand, especially my face where sand had stuck to my tears. I kicked off my sandals and walked straight into the waves, letting them crash around me and wash the sand from my body. Aching for them to wash away my memories.  
I walked out of the water and back towards the house, but I didn't make it there. I stopped next to a tree and screamed as loudly as I could. I wasn't going to leave. I _couldn't_ leave him. I wasn't ready for everything to be stolen from me again, and this time I wasn't going to _allow_ it to be taken away. Not without a fight.  
I realized as I stood there, propped against the tree and breathing raggedly from all of the emotions that were charging through me, that I had been wrong all along. I couldn't stop things in my life from being taken away from me. My mother, my education, my home, my job - all of those things I had lost, and I'd pulled myself up from the pain and devastation and moved on. I'd thought I was being strong, and I was, but I was also letting life get the best of me.  
And I didn't have to. I didn't have to fall into a pit of despair every time something bad happened to me. I could feel sadness and I could feel pain, but I did not have to allow myself to be knocked down. I could stand tall and move on. I could allow life to wash over me like the waves in the ocean. I did not have to let it push me around.  
I took in deep gulps of cleansing air. I felt as if each one was washing away my past and building a strength inside of me. No, not _building,_ but _revealing_ a strength that was already there, hidden deep down below the pain.  
There was something different. _I_ was different and no matter what came I was going to meet it head on and take care of it. I was no longer going to be pulling myself out of the abyss time and again and just getting through. I was going to be the master of my own fucking world. I loved Eisuke and it didn't matter if he loved me back, now or ever. I would _take_ what I could get from him. Not _accept_ what he would give me, but _take_ what I wanted. I would be happy with him for every minute that I could and I would walk away with my head held high if he ever said it was over, but I wasn't going to let him end our relationship for just any reason. If he didn't love me, fine, but I wasn't going to leave because he was worried about putting me in danger or he thought he needed to use other women to achieve his goals or because I wasn't part of his plan.  
' _This is my fucking life now. Mine. And no one is going to hold me back or tell me what to do_.' I wanted Eisuke and I was going to hold onto him as tightly as I could. I loved him. Damn his past issues and damn mine, too.  
I pushed my sopping wet hair over my shoulders and continued into the house. When I stepped out of the hallway and into the living room, Eisuke and Soryu were still there.  
" _Hey..._ ," Soryu said, shocked and concerned when he saw the drenched mess that I was, but I only had eyes for Eisuke.  
"Our drowned rat has come home," Eisuke said with a smirk on his face. "Don't worry too much, Babe. I'm just sending you to Canada for your own safety. I'll come and visit you."  
"Stop smirking. It's something teenagers do."  
"What?" His eyebrows lowered and his voice was laced with warning, but I wasn't afraid of him anymore.  
" _It's something teenagers do_. To feel superior to others and to pretend like they don't care. It's a juvenile and mean thing to do. Immature. It's a dead give away that you're trying to prop up your ego by telling yourself lies about how you're superior to others. It's time to grow up, Eisuke. This is real adult life. You've been trying to make a game of things, playing at business because it's so easy for you, playing at crime, too and justifying the ends over the means. Living your life like a cold rich frat boy, partying and using women. You're hurting people and destroying lives without a backward glance, getting revenge like a child, throwing down some money like that solves everything."  
"Olivia," Soryu said.  
"Don't interrupt me!" I snapped, not taking my eyes off of Eisuke. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to move to fucking Canada to run some shop. I'm not going to be waiting to make myself available to fuck you when you're in town. I'm here by your side and that's where I'm staying. You bought me, and you don't get to throw me away just because you're afraid of your feelings and how your life might change. You don't get to send me away just because you're afraid that you might lose me. You don't get to control everything Eisuke. You can't control your heart and you can't control me. I'm in charge of me now. I'll decide whether I obey you or not, but make no mistake. It is _always_ my decision."  
Eisuke had stood up, fury in his eyes. "You will go where I tell you to go."  
" _I am not leaving_ ," I said, staring right back at him. "I love you and I'm staying with you. I know that I don't really have any control over that. You can send a bunch of men in here to pick me up and carry me out. You can drug me and knock me out and I won't wake up until I'm in Canada, but you aren't going to do those things because you know that it would be too traumatic for me."  
He shook his head at my words and started to speak, but I cut him off. "You could walk out the door and get on your jet and leave me here. Except, I don't think you can do that. You love me. Even if you don't want to admit it to yourself. You won't let anyone hurt me and you can't stay away from me."  
I walked over to stand in front of him. At some point Soryu had left the room. It was only Eisuke and I. "You're not leaving me behind just because you're afraid of your feelings and afraid that I will get hurt. You'll be brave and I'll be brave and we'll make this work, because I will take anything that life throws at me, but I will not take losing you."  
"Don't-" He started to argue again, but I cut him off.  
"You lost your parents and you lost your sister, but you don't have to lose me," I said, my voice quiet and gentle. "You can have guards follow me all the time - as long as one of them isn't a fake boyfriend. I've already got one of those."  
"You'll still be in danger," he said. "Even with guards. I can't guarantee your safety."  
"I told you, you don't get to decide. It's my decision."

As soon as we stepped into the bedroom Eisuke slammed the door, grabbed me, and pushed me back against it. He stared down at me. His eyes were full of lightning. "You're trying to defy me," he said. "And you went into the water without supervision."  
"I _am_ defying you," I said, not backing down. "You're not going to send me away."  
His mouth came crashing down on mine. I'd always thought his kisses were overwhelming, but this kiss was savage. His lips were hard and commanding, his tongue a sword trying to pierce my soul. I struggled to keep up with him, to meet his demands with an equal amount of ferocity. I channeled my anger into my movements as I submitted my soul to him, but my own tongue demanded his in return. I filled my hands with my desperation and they moved ceaselessly over his body, pulling at his hair with no thought of gentleness, skimming under his shirt to explore his hard abs and pecs, stroking and squeezing the bulge in his jeans.  
His tore himself away from me roughly, both of us were panting. "Take your clothes off," he commanded.  
I tossed my damp dress aside and watched as he quickly stripped himself. My eyes took in his strong legs, his well defined chest and his cock standing hard and ready for me. ' _Mine_ ,' my body whispered as he returned to take me in his arms.  
His mouth ravaged mine once again and his hands grasped and squeezed my breasts roughly. My heart pounded, my blood raced, my entire being was crying out for him. Pushing myself into his hands as they pinched my nipples mercilessly, I moaned and shrieked as his mouth sucked hotly at my neck, knowing that he was marking my skin.  
I felt as if I were on fire, I needed him so badly that I barely knew what to do with myself. It felt as if my brain wanted to turn off entirely and give my body over to the feelings that Eisuke caused in me. I had to keep pulling my mind back from the dark abyss that it wanted to fall into, afraid that I might black out if I allowed myself to let go entirely. He pulled me from the door and pushed me toward the bed, I moved on clumsy feet, climbing onto the bed with trembling limbs. He took my body in hand, moving me so that I was positioned with my ass hanging off the side of the bed.  
He stepped between my legs and I looked up into his eyes. They were burning with a fierce light that I had never seen before, they took my breath away and nearly made my heart stop. He took my ankles in his hands and placed my feet over his shoulders before spreading my folds with his fingers and plunging his cock deep into me with a nearly violent thrust.  
Gripping my shoulders, he began fucking me with viciously deep plunges, his hands yanking me towards him with each hard thrust. Closing my eyes, I threw my head back and screamed because of the shock of being filled so roughly, the pleasure of having him deep inside and the satisfaction of feeling like he was claiming me.  
I was letting go all control and giving myself over to him when a sound caught my attention, a rhythmic "ugh...ugh...ugh" and I felt as if my heart froze in shock. I opened my eyes and looked at Eisuke. His eyes were closed as he thrust himself into me and with each forward movement his mouth was releasing a moan. He had always been in complete control when he fucked me before. He never made a sound except maybe a small moan when he came. Now he was visibly straining to fuck me as hard and as fast as possible, sweat dripped off his skin and splashed down onto me. As I watched he flicked the hair out of his face with a quick motion of his head and droplets of his sweat fell over me.  
He'd let go. In that moment I knew that he wasn't holding anything back from me. I closed my eyes and gave everything to him, letting go of my control and joining him in a sea of pleasure where the only thing that mattered was that he was inside of me and I surrounded him. I came harder and deeper than I ever had before, my body spasming around him, my mouth screaming the intensity of my pleasure.  
Soon after, he plunged hard into me and roared with his own orgasm. I stared at him in breathless shock, my body still twitching around him, he'd cum _inside of me_. I gasped, trying to pull myself together and make my brain work. I felt as if I'd fallen into a different universe. His hands moved over my body and pushed me further up onto the bed, and his body followed. He lay down next to me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to his chest.  
I lay still in his arms, breathing quiet shallow breaths, afraid to move or make a sound. Afraid to do anything to break the unimaginable and fragile moment that I found myself in.

Hours later I walked gingerly around the house looking for Soryu. Eisuke had fucked me two more times and it was obvious that I was going to have to have a talk with him about how much rough sex my body could handle. Which was unfortunate because I was enjoying it just as much as he was.  
We hadn't talked. We'd only fucked and he'd kissed me and held me and _something_ was different. I felt so much closer to him, like he was showing me with his body that he loved me even though he might never say it. I didn't know for sure what it meant, but I wasn't allowing myself to fall into a pit of confusion and depression where I would overanalyze everything that he did or said. Instead I was just going to take what I wanted.  
I found Soryu out on the terrace with a laptop and Kaki. When he saw me he raised an eyebrow at me and I sank down gently into a chair.  
"Eisuke's sleeping," I said. I would have been sleeping too, but I couldn't rest until I tried to take care of everything. "I want to go over a few things with you."  
He lowered his eyebrows and gave me a nod.  
"When Eisuke and I get back to Japan, I want some really intense self-defense and karate classes and a personal trainer. I need to be able to take down someone twice my size as quickly as possible. The next time a man puts his hands on me uninvited, I want to break his arm," I said.  
Soryu just listened to me, his eyes unreadable.  
"I want to learn how to use a gun, and not just on a shooting range with a target that's far away. I want to learn how to shoot someone up close if they're trying to attack me," I explained. I may not like violence or the criminal world, but if I wanted Eisuke I would have to learn to live in it. And I would not be giving him up. "I'll manage one of the shops in the hotel. All of the employees can be security, like you said. It does seem like a lot of trouble to go through to keep me entertained, but I know that I can't just sit around the penthouse all day."  
"And Eisuke has agreed to all of this?" he asked.  
"We haven't done a lot of talking, but I'm not leaving him. This is how I want things to be," I said firmly. "So, make it happen."  
"Are you sure this is what you want? You've had a taste of the danger involved. Even if you are trained in self-defense and have a security detail, there's never going to be a way to guarantee your safety."  
"I understand that," I said. "I'm not leaving him."  
"Eisuke might be able to be nice to you for a day or two, but it won't be long until he's back to his old self," Soryu said, anger threading into his voice. "A week from now he's going to casually announce that he's going to cheat on you, just like he did before."  
I shrugged. "I'll handle that when it comes."  
"I think it's best if you take the offer to go to Canada. I'd prefer to know that you were safe from everything, including Eisuke."  
I stood up and looked down at him, I wasn't going to continue arguing about this. "If you want to keep me safe, then do what I've asked you to do. If there's anything else that I can do, let me know. But I'm not going to leave him. That's out of the question."  
I turned and walked back into the house.

Two weeks later I stepped out of a limo, took Eisuke's arm and looked up at Tres Spades Tokyo. The hotel looked different than before, it looked smaller, less intimidating. I was no longer the scared and struggling young woman that I had been before. I felt stronger, more in control and more capable than I had ever thought possible.  
When we stepped into the lobby, the first thing that I noticed was the security cage that stood at the entrance to the penthouse elevator. Although it was fancied up to match the luxury of the hotel lobby, it was still a huge reminder that our lives were in danger and that Eisuke was doing everything that he could to protect us.  
We had to pass through a metal detector to get into the cage, but Soryu had explained to me that it would be turned off when we stepped through it. Eisuke and his partners were always armed, and soon I would be too. Inside the cage the guard used a wand to scan over us, checking for wiretaps that may have been slipped into our bags or onto our person without our knowledge. The cage itself was scanning us for bombs.  
We had to scan our fingerprints to get into the elevator. The entire hotel had gone from keycards to fingerprints. Eisuke and Soryu were implementing every safety measure that they could find.

I'd expected to feel a sense of homecoming when I entered the penthouse, instead I was completely shocked. Absolutely everything had been changed: the flooring, the paint, the wallpaper, all of the furniture and decorations. It looked like a completely different place.  
The furniture was in a new arrangement. No longer did the front door open up to a view of the main seating area. Instead, you had to turn to the left once you stepped into the main room and the furniture had to have been set up to present obstacles to an attacker and to give anyone in the seating area places to take cover.  
The guys were sitting in the seating area, and it was the four of them that gave me the sense of coming home. "Mamoru," I said with a laugh, feeling tears prick at my eyes as emotions welled up in me. "They've invaded your space!"  
The men had stood up to greet me. Mamoru's chair - a new version - was still next to the window, but now the seating had been arranged around it. He stepped over and gave me a hug. "We've all had to make some sacrifices for the sake of safety. I've got earplugs to block out the nattering whenever Baba and Ota are here."  
I accepted hugs from all of them. They were Eisuke's family and that made them my family, too. My heart trembled as I thought of how easily I could have lost all of this. The shooter could have been successful and destroyed these men. Eisuke could have succeeded at sending me away. My hold on this place was only as strong as my determination to stick to Eisuke no matter how difficult things got. It remained to be seen what challenges and craziness he would throw at me to test my love for him.

When Eisuke and Soryu fell into a conversation about stocks and Mamoru fell asleep in his chair, Baba and Ota pulled me aside and apologized.  
"We're so sorry," Baba said. "We had no idea that anything like that would happen. We wouldn't have involved you if we thought you would be in danger. And I should have realized that something was wrong in the car afterwards. I should have paid more attention and asked more questions."  
" _I'm_ the one who really fucked up," Ota said. "I had to hide far away and I was on the phone. I don't even _know_ how long you were screaming before the call ended. I should have been paying attention. I should have been there for you right away and I wasn't."  
Both of the men looked pained as they spoke to me. "I couldn't see what was going on behind that bush. I _didn't even know_ and I didn't take the time to talk to you and find out. I was too caught up in having fun and playing my role," Ota continued, shaking his head in self-disgust. "I can't apologize to you enough. We will never let you get hurt again."  
"I forgive you," I said. "I know that you guys wouldn't have taken me with you if you thought I would get hurt. And Baba got shot because of _my_ carelessness. I'm really sorry, too. We should probably just call it even."  
"I really don't think you were being careless, Olivia," Baba said, his eyes very serious. "And from what I've heard from the people who saw you, you were pretty beat up yourself. We've all been very worried about you. Especially since the one taking care of you was Eisuke."  
I gave a little laugh and said, "Well, I'm going to be taking self-defense and karate and shooting classes. I'm going to be prepared if something like this ever happens again."  
"You get fun stuff and we get Sensitivity Training," Ota said grumpily.  
"Sensitivity Training?" I asked.  
"Yeah," Baba said, looking sharply at Ota. "Eisuke thinks we need to learn to respect women more. Which I already try to do, so the classes aren't so hard for me. Ota on the other hand…"  
"It wouldn't be so bad if Ran Nitta wasn't some kind of feminist nazi," Ota complained. "I used to fuck a woman who worked in the auctions and she was involved in a skirmish and got some counseling from Ran afterwards. I _know_ she has to have told Ran stuff about me. That woman looks at me like I'm a bug that she wants to step on and keeps implying that I need intense therapy sessions."  
I blinked at Ota in surprise. _What in the world was he hiding?_  
"I don't think Ran really wants to give you therapy," Baba said. "Then she'd have to listen to you talk about yourself for hours. No one wants that."

Later that night when Eisuke led me upstairs, I was surprised to find that the second floor living room had also been completely redecorated. "Did the shooter come up here, too?" I asked.  
"No," Eisuke explained. "If they were doing the first floor, they might was well do the second floor, too. And there was too much white furniture. Since your cat's going to be getting orange fur everywhere, that had to be taken care of."  
I shot him a warning glace for talking bad about Kaki and he answered me with a smirk. I was laughing when we walked through the door to our bedroom. It had also been redone.  
"Oh, I like this," I said, spinning in a circle and checking out the room. The walls had been painted a soft gray and the spread on the bed was a matching gray with a dark vine motif.  
Eisuke went over to the bed and flicked the spread down to reveal lavender sheets. "I know you like purple," he said.  
"How did you know?" I asked. I didn't remember ever talking to him about colors.  
"Every time you wore one of my shirts, you always took a purple one," he said.  
I narrowed my eyes at him. The room had been decorated to look like one of his suits, it was way too narcissistic. "You were never around when I wore your shirts. How-"  
I stopped as he smirked down at me and shook my head. People had reported that I'd worn his shirts a couple of times and gave so much detail that he even knew the color? It was crazy and I knew that I would have to just get used to it. It wasn't going to stop.  
I kicked off my shoes, pulled my dress over my head and climbed into the bed. "Come and fuck me," I said. "I'm going to feel like I'm completely surrounded by you."

Eisuke's Mental Notes 8/18/2018:

 _...We have returned to Tokyo. Olivia will stay..._


End file.
